Third Time's the Charm
by 12anonymous33
Summary: On his way to save Commissioner Gordon and end Scarecrow's reign over Gotham, Tim Drake is confronted by none other than his predecessor, a demon from Batman's past. (Heavy AU where Batman has been overcome by the Joker's blood and is forced into quarantine by Robin. Robin has taken advantage of his mentor's resources and tech to continue the fight against Scarecrow. Spoilers!)
1. Encounter

I glanced about tiredly at the defeated militia men piled around me, twirling my staff in my hand. The struggle to reach this bunker alone had physically drained me, especially that deadly game of run-from-the-giant-drilling-machine that had resulted in the loss of the Batmobile. I was glad it was all over. I turned to Commissioner Gordon where he sat in his restraints and approached him.

"Let's get you out of here, Commissioner," I said as he looked up at me warily. Man, he looked worse for wear, the bruises and cuts on his face no doubt the price he'd paid for going against the Arkham Knight and Scarecrow on his own.

"Robin? Is Batman with you?" Gordon grunted as I got to work on the wires strapping him to the chair. I tried not to scowl at his inquiry. The memory of Bruce trying to throw me in that cell in the studios was too fresh in my mind.

"He's a little unfit for duty right now," I replied, trying to sound upbeat. "But don't worry, we-"

"Turn around."

I froze, hands hovering over the Commissioner's wrist. I took a deep breath and turned to find the owner of the synthesized voiced, the so-called Arkham Knight, standing behind me. On top of that, he had a pistol trained on me. Great, and we were so close to escaping, too!

I drew myself to my full height in an attempt to mask my exhaustion and the aching of my muscles. I couldn't afford to show any weakness to whoever this enemy was.

"Who are you?" The million-dollar question. I didn't expect a straight answer.

"You really have no idea," The Knight sighed, pressing a button on his mask to raise it away from his face. "Do you, Robin?"

I froze in shock when I saw the man's face; that same tired and anguished face I had seen in that terrible video file I wished I'd never found in the Batcomputer. Even after all this time, the letter J remained branded on his cheek, a cruel proof of ownership.

"You-you're Jason Todd," I stammered, both in amazement and fear. How that hell was this possible after I'd seen Joker put a bullet in him?

"What's the matter, kid?" Jason-no, not Jason, that's impossible-sneered, circling around me like a predator. "Lost for words? The old man never mentioned me? I'm hurt.

"You're dead," I replied in disbelief. "Batman told me-"

"LIAR!" the man before me snarled, shaking his firearm in my face. "How long did he wait before replacing me with you, huh? A month? A week? I trusted him...and he just left me to die!"

"No way," I denied adamantly, taking a step back. "I'm sure Batman did everything he could to get you back!"

"Well he lied to you, Boy Wonder!" the Knight shouted angrily, "Just like he lied to me." He trailed off, his expression softening somewhat. "Tell me something, kid, how much faith do you have in the old man? Would you trust him with any secret, your life? Is that how tight you are?"

In any other situation, I would have given an automatic response. However, the sight of my mentor's deranged green eyes and the sound of his powerful fists banging against the glass gave me pause. How long had he been planning to let the Joker's blood corrupt him from the inside out? How much did he really know about Oracle's whereabouts? Was she really fine?

Jason grinned cruelly, noticing my hesitation. "Having doubts? Good. You should listen to your gut and stay far away from the Bat. He might be coddling you now, but he'll ditch your sorry ass the second you outgrow him." He ceased pacing, never lowering his weapon. "Don't you see? Robins are replaceable to him. He doesn't care about you. He never cared about me, or Dick. Once you screw up and lose your title he'll just hand it over to the next little shit."

My eyes narrowed and my hands curled at my sides. I knew what the Knight was trying to do. If I let his words consume me, who would be left to stand against Scarecrow and his diabolical plan? If I could best Jason in battle, his militia empire would collapse underneath him. It would make saving Gotham all the easier.

"I don't plan on giving up my mantle anytime soon. Batman's not here, so it's up to me to sort out the destruction you and Scarecrow have caused," I hissed, "Besides, it's obvious to everyone that the third time's the charm in this situation, isn't it?"

An animalistic growl tore from Jason's throat. Before I knew it, his hand was wrapped around my neck, his gun pushing against my chin. "You little punk," he snarled, eyes burning with untamed rage. "You're just as bad as him."

It was then, with his face so close, that I understood the full extent of the Joker's torture. He was insecure and unstable, a shadow of the man he'd been under Bruce's tutelage. He wouldn't rest until he saw all of us suffer and perish at his hands.

"Get your hand off him, scum!" Gordon yelled from his chair, struggling to break free. In the intensity of the moment, I'd forgotten he was in the building with us. Jason's glare turned to the Commissioner, gun poised to silence him for his outburst. At that instant, I knew I had to act.

I struck with my free hand, knocking his hand from my neck. Before the Knight could regain his balance, I smashed him over the head with my baton, damaging his Batman-esque mask. Jason flew back, and I used my grappling gun to swing over the railing, finding a hiding spot near some escalators.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!" Jason roared, "I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!"

From my position, I caught sight of him brandishing a sniper rifle and grappling up to a nearby vantage point. There was no way I could charge him head-on. I scanned the bunker's area, looking for vents and nooks I could use to get close. Finding a suitable path, I took a few calming breaths before leaping into action.

I couldn't afford to think about how Jason used to live in my shoes, how he had trained and fought alongside Batman to bring the wicked to justice. Now, he was just another threat that had to be neutralized to ensure Gotham's safety.

Even as I moved through the vents, however, a deep feeling in my gut told me that this confrontation was about to get personal.


	2. Battle

I found myself underneath the perch where Jason was scanning for a target. Cloaked in shadow, I had the element of surprise. In one swift movement, I grappled up to the older man and grabbed the barrel of his rifle.

"Argh! You...bastard!" The Knight growled from behind his new red mask as we fought for control. I raised my leg to kick him, only to lose my balance and slip off the perch.

Just my luck. I twisted in the air and landed safely. I flipped backwards in anticipation and, sure enough, Jason slammed to the ground in a crouch. His sniper rifle split into two powerful-looking handguns, which he raised and fired in my direction. I barely had time to whip out my bullet shield to deflect the barrage of bullets he let loose in my direction. Thankfully, the Knight failed to notice the Snap-Flash I had planted near him just moments before.

The Arkham Knight cried out as I detonated the device. No doubt it had done some damage. Not wasting another moment, I lowered my shield and charged forward, throwing punches at his masked face. The first fist connected, but he was ready for the rest. He countered nearly every blow and kick I threw at him with deadly precision. On top of his own experience as Robin, he must have trained for these encounters ever since he escaped the Joker's clutches.

I flipped over Jason's head, ready to do some damage from behind. My feet had barely touched the ground when I was suddenly pistol-whipped and thrown to the floor.

Pain exploded in the side of my face and colors swam before my eyes as I frantically scrambled away from Jason. I couldn't let him hit me when I was down.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Bird Boy!" Jason shouted, dropping a smoke grenade and disappearing from view. I blinked to clear my vision and grappled up to a vantage point. I spat out the blood that was pooling inside my cheek and scanned for any sign of the Knight.

A large, retractable door opened on the side of the bunker, revealing another huge wing. Jason was perched at the end of the room, sniper rifle aiming to kill. Several armed militiamen, as well as a drone, poured out into the main concourse. My gut dropped. Did I really stand a chance against all these men, exhausted as I was? I supposed there was only one way to find out.

"Batman's not the only one with sidekicks!" The Arkham Knight called menacingly.

"More like hired goons!" I retorted, trying to throw my voice the best I could. I swung from my perch, barely missing the drone's line of sight and landing in the shadows once more. I watched as Jason's men spread themselves out, making sure to sweep every major section of the bunker.

I activated the advanced optics in my mask to track the soldiers' movements. I noticed several floor grates nearby and made my way over to them. Hopefully these would help me get close to Jason.

"Rough him up as much as you want, boys," Jason laughed from above. "But bring him to me alive. I'll make him wish he never broke in here."

"He's stronger than you know," said Gordon from his chair, no doubt to encourage me. "He was trained by Batman, after all."

"I'm getting tired of your interruptions, old man!" The Knight growled, "I'll put one in you if you don't shut the hell up!"

"Ha! You wouldn't. I'm sure you still need me for whatever you're planning," the Commissioner scoffed. As I navigated the vents, I realized he was trying to divert Jason's attention and give me an advantage. Grateful as I was, aggravating the Arkham Knight in his current state was dangerous. I hoped Gordon's jabs wouldn't send Jason further over the edge.

I tensed as heavy boots stomped past the grate above me. "Where is he?" the soldier grumbled. I couldn't help but smirk. He was about to find out.

I emerged from the grate quick as lightning, seizing the surprised man and throwing him head first into the ground. Another nearby yelped and raised his gun, but it was too late. With a sharp strike from my staff he, too, fell unconscious. Not missing a beat, I raced to find more cover. Suddenly, a bright red light fell on my body. Crap.

"Die, Robin!" Jason snarled maniacally, firing a shot from his rifle. Gordon let out a shout of alarm as a burning pain spread in my upper arm. Diving under a balcony near the Knight's position, I grabbed the afflicted area, crimson blood seeping between my gloved fingers. I cursed under my breath. His bullet must have grazed my bicep. Willing away the pain, I continued towards Jason's perch.

I reached the end of the wing, looking up and spotting Jason past some glass on the upper balcony. If I wanted to get to him, I'd have to smash through the glass.

I hesitated. And then what? Trade more blows until he runs off and calls his lackeys to back him up? There had to be another way to get him while he was vulnerable.

 _Tell me something, kid, how much faith do you have in the old man?_

A new strategy worked its way into my mind. Jason, at first, had hoped to break me with his bleak words and experiences. Perhaps I could give him a taste of his own medicine by pushing his psychological buttons? The Knight would be easier to deal with if emotions clouded his actions.

I glanced up again, ready to put my plan into motion. Before I could even move, however, the red mask shot its gaze downward, through the glass and right at me. I had barely turned to run when I was showered with razor-sharp shards. I threw my arms over my head in an attempt to deflect the glass away from my face. I had to move, now!

A gloved hand grabbed me by my cape, pulling me back into danger. A metal boot connected with my spine, sending me flying into the corner. Gritting my teeth, I let out a hoarse cry of pain. I grasped at the wall, pulling myself up only to find myself cornered by the Arkham Knight, dual pistols trained on my vitals.

"Game over, Robin," Jason chuckled. It may have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I'd seen his bloodthirsty grin flashing from behind his mask.


	3. Futility

I fought the urge to gulp as Jason Todd stood over me, the gaze of his red mask piercing right through my being. This couldn't be how this ends! Bested by the enemy when Gotham needed me most?

"I've got Robin," the Arkham Knight announced to his men over his radio. "The rest of you keep an eye on the Commissioner."

"Jason, listen to me," I hissed urgently, slowly pulling myself to my feet. "Things don't have to be this way. You're better than this. You were a hero! You and Bruce-"

"Don't you dare mention his name!" Jason growled, stepping ever closer. "He never understood me, just because I wanted to do things differently! If he had just gotten rid of people like the Joker, we wouldn't be in this God damned conflict right now!"

I honestly wasn't sure how to counter that argument. What the Knight claimed wasn't exactly false. Still, I pressed on, trying to make him see my point of view.

"Jason, I'm not gonna pretend to understand what you went through," I began shakily due to the pain in my body and limbs. "But was it worth terrorizing Gotham? All this killing and kidnapping?" My worry for Barbara gnawed at the back of my mind. Her whereabouts after her run-in with the Arkham Knight were still unknown to me.

"You're never gonna succeed, if that's what you think. But, there's always another way. We can stop Scarecrow, make Gotham safer than it ever was," I said, extending my hand to him. "I...we can help you."

The Arkham Knight's mask tilted down to my hand, and he holstered one of his handguns. I took a deep breath. Was this really working? Could I keep this up and escape this situation?

My meager hopes were effectively dashed when he grabbed my arm in a bone-crushing grip. He yanked me towards him as his red mask pulled away from his face once more.

"There's no helping me," Jason hissed lowly, pushing my chin up with his gun and forcing me to look into those tortured eyes again. "Does this look like the face of someone who wants to be your BFF? The only reason you're even breathing right now is so that you can tell me where the Bat is hiding. Am I clear?"

I glared up at the former Robin. Sure, Batman may have lied to me, kept me cooped up in the movie studios when I could have been saving Barbara, but he was my mentor and family first. I couldn't let Jason find him in the weakened state he was currently in.

"That's not gonna happen," I replied cooly. "And have you ever heard of breath mints, man? I hear they're great."

Jason blinked and pulled back slightly. He probably wasn't expecting me to be a smartass, and he played right into my hands. I flicked my staff upward, shoving his gun away from my face. A small dispenser in my staff sprayed the Arkham Knight with a sensory-blocking solution. He snarled angrily, firing blindly with one hand and wiping his face with the other.

Bullets flew inches past me and my ears rang from the sharp blasts. Wasting no time, I kicked Jason away and took off toward the main concourse. I grappled up high and caught sight of the remaining enemy soldiers surrounding Commissioner Gordon. I pitied the man, having to sit there and listen to our drama without being able to act.

"Damn it! He got away," Jason growled through the frequency, "But he's weak. Two of you, go apprehend him! Keep your eyes on the shadows!"

I watched as two of the militiamen separated themselves from the group and headed down the escalators. I activated my mask's scanning mode, but caught no sign of Jason. His armor must have been deflecting my optics somehow. I grimaced. Not only that, the pains of my acquired injuries were making it hard to concentrate. I knew I had to end this soon.

I was snapped out of my stupor by the sound of combat boots stepping my way. Looking down, I noticed the two militiamen pacing around near my perch.

"Sounds like the boss is losing his cool," one of the soldiers huffed, checking his machine gun.

"I'm not surprised," the other replied, "There's rumors going around that he's got some type of history with these people."

"Really? I didn't...is that blood?" the soldier wondered out loud, crouching down below my perch. Sure enough, a small trail of crimson stretched across the concourse, ending in a small pool below my position. I chanced a glance at my injured arm. The gash was still bleeding, blood dripping down my sleeve. I didn't have time to tend to it now, but those two soldiers could look up any second and spot me. It looked like another distraction was in order.

I fished a shuriken out of my utility belt, scanning for any target I could use to get their attention. My eyes landed on the military drone patrolling from above. If I could knock it down, it may occupy those two long enough for me to restrategize. As I was raising my arm to launch the shuriken, my mask highlighted someone sneaking around in the vents I'd used to enter this bunker. I froze. Was this a friend, or another foe?

All of a sudden, a blur of blue and black shot up from underneath the unaware militiamen's feet. Twin electric escrima sticks twirled and jabbed with force, making short work of the men guarding Commissioner Gordon.

Relief washed through my system. _Nightwing!_

"Hey! Who's that?" One of the men below me shouted, both of them aiming their firearms at the vigilante. With a sharp flick of my arm, my shuriken sailed right into the drone's propellers, sending it spinning to the ground. The two soldiers dove to avoid the crashing aircraft, and I took that opportunity to pounce.

I landed on both unsuspecting soldiers' backs, knocking the wind out of them both and sending them straight into the ground. With a few more well-aimed stomps, they were both sleeping sounder than babies.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Checking my surroundings one last time, I caught no sight of Jason nearby. I quickly made my way to the balcony to help free the Commissioner. I was glad to finally meet an ally in this tough fight.


	4. Bombshell

Nightwing was already leaning on the upper level balcony by the time I reached it, having bested all the guards stationed there. If the confident air about him was any indication, he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"There he is!" the vigilante grinned, clasping my hand and pulling me up after I'd grappled to the railing. "You know, they should really hire a tour guide for those huge tunnels down there."

"Good to see you, too, man," I chuckled breathlessly, finally relaxing after the tense conflict. "How'd you find me, anyway?"

Nightwing scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I kind of maybe put a tracer on the Batmobile. Wayne Tech, so it probably wasn't detected by the computer. I was worried about you guys, alright? Sue me."

"Well, at least you had a good reason," I assured him, "I would've gotten my ass kicked by the Arkham Knight and his men if you hadn't come when you did."

"Wait. Arkham Knight?" Nightwing probed, eyes narrow and serious behind his mask. "He's here? And where's Batman?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words escaped. My tired brain was working overtime to come up with a good explanation, but my fear of Dick's reaction to the revelation I had witnessed made it all the more difficult.

"Um...Batman's still at the movie studios. It's a long story," I trailed off lamely. That probably wasn't the answer Dick was hoping for.

The sound of Commissioner Gordon clearing his throat spared me from more interrogation. "I hate to interrupt this reunion of yours," He grumbled, waving at us with the arm he had managed to free. "But you've got to untie me. I can take you both to Crane."

Crane, the twisted man behind this nightmare, was here? This could be our one chance to defeat him once and for all!

"Of course," Nightwing nodded, turning and approaching the Commissioner. "Robin, why don't you take five and take care of that gash on your arm?" he asked me, giving me a look over his shoulder that assured me that we would talk more about my dilemma.

I sighed, leaning back against the railing. Stowing my staff, I pulled out a roll of antibiotic bandages from my utility belt. I knew I would have to get stitches eventually, but this would have to do for now. Hissing in pain, I pinched the deep wound closed and began applying the first layer of bandages to the surface.

As I was wrapping my arm, I found myself pacing aimlessly, staring at the abandoned mall's dark ceiling. How was I going to explain who the Arkham Knight was to Dick, Barbara, Alfred, even Bruce? Would they be devastated, too consumed by betrayal to even fight back anymore? Perhaps I could hide it a little longer, just until Scarecrow was dealt with? I knew Bruce had used the same trick on me in order to ensure that I stayed working with Henry Adams to find a cure, but maybe he was right. Perhaps it was necessary to keep everyone on track.

"...finding more of Penguin's stockpiles and torching them. You wouldn't believe the stuff we're finding in there!" Dick conversed almost jovially with Gordon, no doubt helping him out of that infernal chair. I turned and watched with a smile as the Commissioner nodded mutely in accordance to the information spilling out of Nightwing's mouth. That guy always knew how to lighten up the mood in a tense situation.

Dick's eyes flicked upward and we held each other's gazes for a short moment. A silent conversation flashed between us, reassuring us that, yes, we were alive and Gotham would be saved soon. There would be no reason to be afraid anymore.

I didn't immediately notice Dick's masked eyes widening in horror, but the yell that ripped from his throat made me wheel around to face whatever he had seen behind me.

The red-masked man dove at me from the dark ceiling, weapons poised to kill. Shit. My breathing hitched and I froze like a deer in the headlights. My aching body was too sluggish from our prior battle. I couldn't reach any of my gadgets. He was coming too fast!

A blur of blue and black came out of nowhere and knocked me away from my probable demise. I stumbled and landed on the floor, watching as Nightwing performed a skillful backflip, his boot connecting with the Arkham Knight's mask. The crunching and shattering of the glass echoed in my ears.

Jason's body flew back, landing in a heap before us. Nightwing took a protective stance in front of me as Gordon rushed forward, gun aimed at the fallen Knight.

"Stay where your are!" The Commissioner barked, "We've got you know, you son of a bitch!"

"Screw you," Jason growled, glare murderous through his broken mask. He made no move to get back on his feet, however.

I noticed Nightwing stepping closer to the fallen Knight, peering into his shattered mask. Panic swept through me and I reached up to grab his arm. "Wait, Nightwing, don't-"

It was too late. Dick froze like an ice sculpture, all color draining from his face. Hours seemed to pass as he gawked at the pitiful and spiteful man before him.

"Jason?" Nightwing barely whispered, "All this time...it was you?"

The Arkham Knight coughed, removing the remains of his red mask and revealing a messy head of black hair. "In the flesh." His green eyes narrowed furiously above the branded J on his cheek. "Take a good, long look. Batman did this to me!" he snarled, voice breaking. "He left me to rot for over a year in that abandoned wing of Arkham...with the Joker!"

In that moment, Jason's face lost all of its previous fierceness. From my spot on the floor, his crushed visage looked more like that of a lost and anguished boy. I knew I should hate him for what he did to the city, to Barbara, but I just couldn't find it in me. Even Gordon lowered his weapon with a sympathetic shake of his head.

"Poor kid," the Commissioner murmured under his breath, taking a few steps back.

"You were...in Arkham?" Nightwing choked, still rooted to the ground. The implications were shattering. All the time Batman was fighting in that God-forsaken Asylum, he could have found Jason and taken him away from the unspeakable acts of torture the Joker was subjecting him to.

"Batman failed me," Jason continued his tirade, turning his hateful leer on me. "And he's gonna fail you and the rest of this fucking city." With that, he tucked his chin down as if to hide in shame. His ragged breathing echoed in the large concourse.

I felt the urge to say something to him, apologize, but I kept my mouth shut. Something told me that anything I said would only deepen Jason's suffering.

A shadow fell over me, and I looked up to find a somber Nightwing extending his gloved hand to me. I clasped his hand in both of mine, trying to convey my sympathy as I got back on my feet. A light on my modified gauntlet began blinking, indicating that a call was coming in. I tore my gaze from Nightwing's defeated eyes, pressing my communicator into my ear.

"This is Robin," I began after clearing my throat.

"Master Drake," Alfred greeted, dutiful as always. "I presume you've had success in locating the Commissioner?"

"Yeah, of course," I responded tiredly, "We dealt with the Arkham Knight, too." I saw Dick tense up out of the corner of my vision at the mention of our adversary. Sighing, I decided to drop the bombshell. "It was Jason Todd, Alfred."

"I'm sorry, sir, I must have misheard you. Did you say it was Master Todd?" The butler asked incredulously.

"You heard right, Alfred," I assured him sadly.

"Oh, God. Is he alright?"

Nightwing and I looked back at Jason's spot on the floor. Neither us were surprised to find empty space where the former Robin had fallen.

"No, he's not."


	5. Betrayal

"You two just let him get away?" Gordon growled, pacing in front of us. "I swear, I turn my back for two seconds..."

Nightwing and I stood before the Commissioner silently, like two misbehaving students being chewed out by the principal.

"Sir, I don't think the Knight is any threat to us now," I explained, hoping to calm his temper. "Not in the state he's in."

Gordon sputtered angrily, looking between the two of us incredulously. "His state? I outta-argh, forget it!" He grumbled, turning away from us and towards an elevator on the lower level. "Scarecrow's on the roof. If we go now, we can nab him before he calls for backup."

"Right," I nodded. I turned and looked at Nightwing worriedly. It was obvious by his frown and unfocused eyes that his mind wasn't in the right place at the moment. I couldn't blame him. He and Jason must have been close, and seeing him again probably reopened some deep wounds.

"Nightwing," I spoke gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Could you take a look at those computers and see what you can find?" I motioned to the mess of screens and satellites scattered around the bunker. "The more we know about Scarecrow's people, the better."

Dick blinked and nodded slowly. "Ah...sure thing, Robin," he replied, rubbing his face. "I won't be long, so don't start the party without me," he chuckled weakly, turning to one of the consoles. He checked to see if Gordon was out of earshot before continuing. "Please be careful up there, Tim. Don't take Scarecrow lightly."

"I won't," I reassured him, smiling a smile that probably didn't reach my eyes. "We'll be fine. Robins are good luck, remember?"

"Yeah," Nightwing replied mirthlessly, flashing a false grin. "Don't we know it."

With that, Dick strode towards a console, remote hacker in hand. I made my way over to Gordon. Hopefully, by keeping him occupied, I'd give him time to cope with this difficult situation.

Gordon was silent as he called the freight elevator. I came up next to him, glancing at him worriedly. I realized then that maybe he knew what happened to Barbara. "Commissioner," I began carefully, "Has your daughter-"

"Don't," he cut me off, keeping his eyes forward. "Let's just get this over with." My heart sank. That didn't sound reassuring.

"I'm sorry," I apologized pathetically. "I should've…" The words died in my mouth as the elevator doors slid open, revealing four armed men and an electrified brute. Before I could act, one of them socked the Commissioner in the jaw, knocking him down.

"Attack him!" the brute shouted, hands sparking dangerously. I jumped back, brandishing my staff as the five of them spread out around me. It looked like I'd have to deal with them quickly. Wasting no time, I charged at the nearest soldier, knocking him out with a solid kick. Another one sprang at me, throwing a punch that I easily countered before striking him with jabs of my own. He crumpled to the ground as I bashed him on the head with my staff.

I spun to face my next opponent only for an electrical shock to fry my body. I cried out and stumbled back, vision blurry. In my haste, the brute had snuck up on and electrocuted me. He chuckled darkly, raising his fists in preparation to beat me down.

"Hey, assholes!" A new voice called, causing the soldiers to start and look around. Nightwing flew in from above, landing on an enemy with a satisfying crunch. Pulling out his electric sticks, he swung at the surprised goons. "Get out of here, Robin! I'll take care of this."

"Right," I nodded, quickly using my staff as leverage to flip over the brute and rush to the elevator. He and his companions made to chase me, but were stopped in their tracks by Nightwing.

"Nuh-uh-uh, boys," he chided them, a smirk in his voice. "You all get to play with me now."

Gordon had already dragged himself into the carriage by the time I ran in. He pressed the button to go to the roof and the gate slid shut behind us. I turned just in time to catch Dick dancing around his enemies' attacks, lashing back at any opportunity. They would be no match for the lifetime of acrobatic and combat skills he held.

"Are you alright, sir?" I asked, looking to the Commissioner.

He nodded, rubbing his now bruised jaw. "Believe me, son, I've had worse."

I let out a sigh of relief, but I knew we couldn't relax yet. There was still a dangerous psychopathic maniac to apprehend.

"This...Jason," Gordon began as the elevator rose higher. "Exactly who was he to you?"

I bit my lip, coming up with an appropriate way to explain without giving away too many details. "I'm not sure if you've realized this, Commissioner," I said, pressured by his scrutinizing gaze. "But I'm not the only one who's ever been given the mantle of Robin. Jason was one of them, before me. I honestly don't know much about him, only that he grew up in the slums. I guess Batman saw potential in him, and trained him to be his partner."

Gordon raised an eyebrow. "And Batman just replaced him once the Joker got his hands on him?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't…" I trailed off, coming to a horrible realization. It had only been a few months after Jason disappeared that I had deduced Batman's true identity. All the while I'd been working so hard to get him to train me, he'd been worried sick about Jason. I had inadvertently twisted his yearning for Jason into a need for a new Robin to fill the void.

"It was me…" I whispered, looking down at my now bloody and cut-up uniform. Gordon appeared to have decided to drop the conversation as the elevator came to a halt at the unfinished roof. I pushed those disparaging thoughts out of my head. I couldn't let my guard down, even if we had Scarecrow in a corner.

We stepped out of the carriage and through the steel beams criss-crossing above us. Standing out on the edge, taking in the view of the rainy Gotham City, was the abominable man himself. Gordon pulled out his gun, training it on the mad criminal.

"The jig's up, Scarecrow," I called, twirling my staff. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"So you did it," the villain responded, glancing over his shoulder. "I must admit, I had my doubts that you could make this happen. Overlooking the most obvious deviation in my plan, of course."

I tried not to shudder at the sound of his gravelly voice. "Enough talk. On your knees. I won't ask you again."

"And I wasn't talking to you," said Scarecrow, turning to face us. "It is time."

I tensed. Time for what?

I received my answer as the Commissioner turned and aimed his weapon at me. I instinctively squeezed my staff, expanding the bullet shield hidden within.

"Gordon?" I murmured in shock. This couldn't be happening. What on Earth did Scarecrow do to gain his cooperation?

"I'm sorry, son," said Gordon morosely. "It was the only way. Now," he continued, looking to Scarecrow. "Bring me my daughter."

Scarecrow simply nodded and beckoned with his hand. A soldier appeared from behind the construction, pushing a battered young woman in a wheel chair.

"Dad! Tim!" she called out in fright.

My heart nearly leapt from my chest as I gasped in recognition.

"Barbara!"


	6. Embrace

I was flooded by waves of different emotions when I saw Barbara for the first time in what felt like ages. Relief, most of all, that she was alive, but also undercurrents of raw anger and fear. Bruce had really lied to me. She sure as hell didn't look fine, strapped to her wheelchair with no escape.

"Barbara, are you alright?" Gordon asked, looking over at his daughter.

"What are you doing?!" Oracle cried, shocked by the sight of her father's gun pointing at me.

"Call in the transport," Scarecrow ordered his soldier, "We're leaving."

"Yes, sir," he replied, walking back behind the large crates from where he had appeared.

"Like hell-" I growled, stuck behind my shield. I glanced about desperately, looking for anything I could use to save Barbara and make a quick getaway.

"It is no use, Robin," Scarecrow addressed me now, his toxic eyes burning into me. "You will surrender, and take me to Batman. It is time for the people of Gotham to see their saviour for who he truly is. A man. Just a man. Devoid of hope, betrayed by his friends, crippled by fear."

"Let her go," Gordon demanded. I couldn't believe that Barbara and I had been reduced to bargaining chips in this sick conflict.

"You all still have a part to play," the villain replied, laying his hands on Barbara's shoulders. That action alone ignited a burning fury within me. He had no right to touch her like that!

The Commissioner suddenly swung around, aiming his gun at Scarecrow. "We had a deal."

I lowered my shield, more than glad to assist Gordon in this standoff. My resolve was quickly wiped away when more armed militiamen poured in, completely surrounding us. Crane chuckled darkly, no doubt amused by the whole thing.

"Once I understood your greatest fear, controlling you was simple," the villain droned on. "You blame yourself for her condition. You need to protect her, but buried deep down is the inevitability that you will one day fail," he continued, hovering over Barbara like a vulture and taking her face in his hand. "And that fear makes you mine."

"Take your dirty fucking claws off her!" I snarled, trembling with rage. Gordon shot me a look of surprise before advancing threateningly, training his weapon at Scarecrow's head but helpless to save his daughter.

"Think very carefully about your next move, Commissioner," said Crane almost smugly. "Her life depends on it."

I fervently wished I could charge and take out Scarecrow right then and there, but I knew that wasn't an option. Being so outnumbered, there was little I could do, even if Nightwing decided to show up. Was this it? Had we lost?

Gordon slumped in defeat, realizing that Scarecrow, once again, had the upper hand. We were at his total mercy at this point. I watched the Commissioner carefully, and, through the rain, noticed a fire igniting in his weary eyes. He rounded on me, pointing his gun straight at my chest. Time seemed to slow as he fired, the bullet drilling right into my bulletproof armor and knocking the wind out of me. I stumbled back, slipping on the slick floor and tumbling over the side of the building.

For a moment, I free-fell in shock by what had just occurred. Surely, Gordon had not meant to kill me! It was only the sound of Barbara screaming my name that put me back into action. She was still up there, and she needed me now, more than ever.

I twisted in the air, my cape billowing out into a glider that lifted me out of my fall. I struggled to control my trajectory, barely making the edge of one of the neighboring rooftops. My landing was rough, and I rolled across the length of the building until I came to a stop.

I lay there on my back, the cold raindrops biting into my face. I took a few deep breaths, processing what had just happened before strategizing. Those goons up there probably thought I was down for the count. If I were sneaky enough, I could grapple up and take them by surprise with the help of Nightwing, wherever he was.

My mind registered a frantic beeping coming from my gauntlet; another call, no doubt.

"Robin speaking," I coughed, trying to keep myself composed.

"Tim! What the hell is going on?" Speak of the devil, and he shall yell in your ear. "I'm stuck inside the mall. Someone locked the elevator down, but I'm gonna find a way into the shaft, OK?"

"Dick, be careful," I told him, pushing myself to my feet. "It was all a trap. Scarecrow has Barbara, and then Gordon...I barely got out alive!"

"What?" Nightwing was beginning to sound frantic. "What happened to them? Is Jason up there?"

Anything else Dick said passed right out of my other ear. I wasn't paying any attention to him because I had caught sight of what was going on at the top of the unfinished mall. My jaw fell open. That bastard Scarecrow was hanging Barbara and her wheelchair off the edge of the building.

No. No, no, no, no, this was not happening! That crazy fucker was going to kill her!

Adrenaline flooded my system as my legs pumped with all the energy they could muster. I raced to the edge of the building, leaping on to an elevated walkway above the street. I looked up just in time to see the teetering wheelchair fall, breaking into pieces. Barbara tumbled through the air like a broken doll, powerless to save herself.

A furious cry ripped its way out of my throat. Wasting no more time, I pulled out my grappling gun and fired at the building. The clawed hook latched onto the side of the building, just below the path of the falling Oracle. In an instant, I was airborne, the grapple pulling me up at a breakneck speed. I shot upward like a bird of prey, my arms extending to catch and hold her once more.

Our bodies collided roughly, and I held Barbara against my chest as we both spun and plummeted. My glider trapped most of the passing air, decelerating our descent. Even still, things weren't going to be pretty if I couldn't land correctly. Catching a glimpse of the fast-approaching pavement, I pivoted so that my shoulders and back would take the brunt of the collision. I braced myself, curling around Barbara and hoping for the best.

Blunt pain shot through my side as we hit the ground, right behind a low, decorative wall. I lay on my back once more, my senses fading in and out. Frantic thoughts ran amuck in my delirious mind. Did we make it? Were we dead?

"Tim! Timmy!" A desperate voice broke through the haze and I saw her face right above mine, eyes brimming with worry.

I couldn't help but grin at the sight. "Hey, Babs," I chuckled, earning a smack upside the head.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" She shouted, still flustered by our heart-stopping escapade. "I thought Dad killed you!"

I reached up and plucked the bullet sticking out of my armor, spinning it between my fingers. "Huh. Guess he knew what he was doing."

Barbara sighed heavily, relaxing against me. "That's a blessing."

"Now, what did I tell you about robins being good luck?" I admonished in a mock-condescending tone. My hand moved up, brushing away bright, orange hair and wiping the grime from Barbara's cheek.

"You idiot," she laughed tearfully before capturing my lips in hers. I closed my eyes, a soft moan escaping from my throat. After spending so long worrying about Oracle's well-being, having her beside me once more was exhilarating. I deepened the kiss, communicating my love and relief, releasing all the stress the night had brought.

For an instant, we forgot the war-torn city around us and the villains who hungered for our heads. We lay there in bliss, just a man and a woman trapped in their own little universe.


	7. Reminder

The sound of a nearby helicopter caused Barbara and I to cease our PDA and look up at the flying vehicle. It hovered near the mall's roof, awaiting its passengers.

"Dad's still up there!" Barbara gasped, pointing. "Where are they taking him?"

My answer was cut off by a blast that blew a chunk off the wall beside us. I pulled Babs close and huddled against it as the ground shook from the arrival of the militia's tanks. More and more blasts bombarded the crumbling barrier.

"Where's Bruce?" Barbara shouted over the noise. "And the Batmobile?"

"Er, Bruce had to call in sick," I explained hurriedly, ducking to avoid another round of heavy fire. "And the Batmobile's been destroyed."

"What?" she exclaimed, eyes wide behind her lenses.

"No worries," I replied, grinning cockily. "A certain Lucius Fox can hook us up with a spare." Barbara gave me a scathing glare, obviously not in the mood for my quips.

"Alright, alright," I groaned, rolling my eyes. Pressing some keys on my gauntlet, the roar of the Batwing soon filled the night sky, drowning out the tanks' cacophony. It was here. Sure enough, my remote control linked up to the new Batmobile immediately.

"Now we're talking," I chuckled, taking control of the armored vehicle. I activated its combat mode, and its main cannon tore into the attacking drones.

"Sir, that car has a full suite of upgrades, including a drone hacking device," Alfred told me through the Batmobile's communicator.

"Good to know," I nodded, firing a swarm of missiles at the remaining tanks. They exploded like firework shells, their sparking pieces scattering all over the street. After taking care of the stragglers, I directed the Batmobile to park next to our position.

"We're safe," Barbara sighed. She looked into my eyes once more, face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Tim. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to repay what you guys have done to find me."

"Anytime, Babs," I smiled warmly, kissing her forehead.

"Miss Gordon?!" Alfred squawked, making us start. I'd forgotten that he was still listening in. "Is that you?"

We shared a confused look. Barbara moved closer to the headset in my ear to speak to the butler.

"Um...yeah," she replied, "It's me, Alfred. Tim and I were able to get away from Scarecrow."

A pregnant pause followed. "Er, my apologies, Miss Gordon. It's just that Master Bruce was convinced that you were quite deceased when he'd found you."

"He thought I was dead?" Barbara questioned, shooting me a quizzical look. "Did he tell you that, Tim?"

I shook my head. "Bruce told me not to worry; that you were fine. Guess he really was lying to me." I added bitterly.

"Scarecrow," Barbara deduced, "He must have tricked Batman into thinking I was gone. Who knows how much fear toxin he's been exposed to?"

"Tell me about it," I shuddered, remembering the visions that had assaulted me when I'd been taking out the Cloudburst. "Let's get back to GCPD. We'll be safer there."

I was just about to get up and carry Barbara to the Batmobile when a new presence made itself known. "There you guys are!" Nightwing yelled, running over to us. He skidded to a stop, crouching down in front of us. "I wasn't sure what to do when I saw all those tanks rolling in!"

"Good to see you, too, Dick," Barbara smiled, happy to see another friendly face. The vigilante ceased his rambling, a warm grin spreading across his face.

"I'm glad you're safe, Babs," he sighed, pulling us both into a hug.

"Ack!" I protested, his grip aggravating some of my wounds. "Dick, my whole body's still sore!" I squirmed to get away, knowing all too well that it would be in vain. Dick and Barbara laughed at my antics, and I couldn't help but grin, albeit tiredly. The cheerful moments we spent together before Gotham fell apart seemed so far away. It was nice to have a little reminder of what we were fighting to regain.

"Alright, enough with this fluffy crap," I announced, pulling away from Nightwing and gathering Oracle in my arms. "We've still got work to do." My two companions nodded in agreement, all business once more. I pushed myself off the ground, grunting through the pain burning through my injured bicep. Nightwing took notice and put a steady hand on my shoulder, leading us to the Batmobile.

"You're hurt," Barbara exclaimed worriedly as I secured her in the car's backseat. I glanced at my arm, blood already seeping through the bandages.

"It's nothing. I just need some stitches. We can get patched up when we reach the headquarters," I replied, motioning to her many bruises and cuts.

"Wait, Robin," Nightwing interjected, coming forward and leaning against the Batmobile. "You never told us what happened to Batman."

I tried not to fidget as he and Oracle eyed me questioningly. This was not going to be a fun trip down memory lane.


	8. Memory

" _You need to get in the cell. It's the only choice we have left."_

 _My mentor stood before me in silent contemplation. I knew that he didn't want to go in that cell, not when Scarecrow was still out there. But leaving him free for the Joker to manipulate could prove just as dangerous._

 _Appearing to have made up his mind, Bruce approached the cell with a solemn nod. As I opened the glass door, however, something ugly flashed in his now emerald eyes. He suddenly grabbed me harshly, shoving me towards the cell. I, however, latched on to wall behind me, fighting against his grip._

" _You son of a bitch!" I choked out in shock. He was going to lock me in there! I couldn't stay here, not while Gotham lay in shambles and Oracle was AFK!_

" _Don't fight me, Robin," Batman growled menacingly. We struggled for what seemed like minutes before I raised my leg, kicking the inside of his shin. His leg buckled and he fell forward, his hold on me slackening. I turned my body, pushing him into the cell at last._

 _Our fight did not end there. Bruce still held a death-grip on my arm. I held on to the side of the cell for dear life as he yanked me, my arm protesting painfully. He probably wouldn't stop until he ripped it out of its socket!_

 _Taking a chance, I braced my foot against the outside of the cell and pulled out my staff with my free hand. Lunging, I bashed Bruce repeatedly, hoping he would let me go. He snarled in pain, stumbling back and tripping over the equipment in the cell. The Bat fell on his back, but kicked me in the gut before I could counter, sending me flying out of the cell._

 _As I struggled to pull myself up, I noticed Batman doing the same. This was my chance. I pulled out a shuriken and threw it at the keypad next to the cell. It struck a button, slamming the glass portal shut._

 _I got up into a sitting position, my breaths shaky and ragged. I couldn't believe that the man I trusted with my life would try to lock me up!_

 _A loud bang in front of me made me start. I looked up fearfully to see Bruce slamming his fists against the glass. I knew it would take more than that to break through, but I was afraid. This was no longer the man I loved like a father. The Clown Prince of Crime was slowly tightening his hold on his psyche. All that work we did with Henry and the other Jokers was in vain._

" _You can't do this, Jason!" Bruce shouted, infected eyes glaring right through me. "You're not strong enough! I won't let you go!"_

 _I scrambled to my feet, eyes wide. He really was losing his mind. "I'm sorry, Bruce," I replied, turning and dashing to the main computer._

 _The next few minutes were a blur. Through burning eyes, I bypassed Joker's hacking and activated the high-level security lockdown, isolating the base from the rest of the movie studios. I also made sure to cut off Bruce's communications. All the while, his roars grew louder, his words biting into me like barbed wire._

" _You'll never beat Scarecrow! You'll die without my help!"_

 _I struggled to block his pleas out. Stuffing my belt with any spare gadgets Batman had stored here, I turned and made a run for the elevator. Harley Quinn shrieked something from her cell, but I refused to listen. Once inside, I slammed my hand on the button, starting my upward trip into the city._

 _I removed my mask and furiously rubbed my eyes. What the hell was I even doing? Did I make the right decision, leaving Bruce down there? I had no time to dwell on my dilemma, as Alfred contacted me on my gauntlet comm._

" _Master Drake, are you OK?" the butler asked, "I've lost communications with Batman. Is he alright?"_

" _He...I…" I faltered, knowing I couldn't lie to the old man. "I'm so sorry, Alfred. It was him. He was the last Joker."_

Oracle and Nightwing gawked as I finished my tale. I buried my face in my hand, the stress of the moment returning in full swing.

"You...just left him down there?" I heard Nightwing ask, his tone critical. "All by himself? Completely-"

"Dick," Barbara snapped, cutting him off. "It's done. There are other things that need our attention."

"But...fine," he grumbled, turning away. "You guys go ahead to the GCPD. I'll see if I can't clean up Founder's Island a bit, and maybe...find Jason."

Babs and I looked at him in surprise. "You guys found out?" she muttered.

Dick nodded, face grim. "Yeah. He and Robin went at it while we were looking for the Commissioner. He...got away, probably to get some space." He shrugged uselessly, sad eyes cast downward.

"Good luck, Dick." It was all I could really offer at the moment. The vigilante didn't respond, giving us a small smile before disappearing into the darkness of Gotham once more.

"He'll be fine," Babs reassured, reaching from her seat and taking my hand. "Let's get going."

"Sure," I responded, turning my eyes from where Nightwing had been standing. I brought her hand up to my face, kissing it gently. We managed to share a smile before she disappeared into the Batmobile.

Taking a deep breath, I jumped into the driver's seat, eager to tear through the unfriendly streets to safety.


	9. Refuge

I remained silent as I steered the Batmobile past empty buildings and loitering thugs. My fingers drummed on the steering wheel incessantly. A lot of things were on my mind; Scarecrow's plan, Gordon's betrayal, Bruce's descent into madness, and the return of Jason Todd, among other things.

"I don't blame you," Oracle spoke over the communicator.

"Hm?" I replied, pulling myself out of my thoughts.

"For what happened with Batman," she explained. "I would've done the same thing in your position."

"Doesn't make me feel any less shitty about it," I chuckled humorlessly.

"Bruce was always so stubborn," Babs muttered dejectedly, "I just wish he'd let us help. We're fighting with him, not for him. We're like family, and we have to stick together."

I could only hum in agreement. Batman didn't have to face this night alone. He had allies, people who would risk their lives to help him. But he always chose to push those people aside when he needed them most.

"Maybe Jason's...um...disappearance has something to do with it," I suggested lamely.

Barbara remained silent at the mention of my predecessor. Knowing that I was treading on thin ice, I shut up, pulling into the deep parking garage of the precinct.

"We'll find your Dad, Babs," I promised her, parking in front of the entrance to the GCPD headquarters. Jumping out of the cockpit, I opened the Batmobile's passenger compartment. I walked around to her, lifting her out of the seat and into my arms.

"Thanks," she said softly, wrapping her arms around my neck for support.

I nodded. "Let's see if they have some sort of infirmary in here."

Some of the officers standing guard came up to us, happy to see that the Commissioner's daughter was safe.

"Don't worry," one of them patted my shoulder with a reassuring smile. "I'll show you to the clinic we set up."

We nodded in thanks. He led us through the door and past a relieved Sergeant Hanrahan into the small room. Noticing a spare wheelchair in the corner, I carefully stepped past some injured men and set Barbara down.

"Finally," she sighed in relief. "Could you get that first aid kit from over there?"

I complied, picking it up from beside a snoozing officer. Kneeling in front of Oracle, I pulled out an alcohol wipe and began cleaning the cuts on her face.

"What did that freak do to you, Babs?" I mumbled, caressing her bruised cheek with my thumb.

"Most of this wasn't from Scarecrow," she explained, placing the first aid kit on her lap and rummaging through it. "When the Arkham Knight took me from the clock tower, he put me in an armored van. I attacked the driver and we crashed in an alley. I was thrown from the car."

"I'm not sure whether to congratulate or scold you for that," I chuckled, shaking my head. "You've still got it, even after all this time."

She smirked as I stuck a band-aid to the bridge of her nose. "They just underestimated me, that's all. I knew I couldn't escape, so I left a lead for Batman."

"So that's what led him to Simon Stagg and the Cloudburst," I reasoned, "I'm glad I was able to destroy that thing." I stuck a second bad-aid to Barbara's jaw before moving to the wounds on her legs.

"When I saw Gotham drowning in that horrible gas," Babs sniffed, stopping me and cupping my face with her hand. "I thought we were done for. I had know idea where any of you were. I thought Scarecrow had won." I reached up and wiped away a tear that fell from behind her glasses. "You wouldn't believe how happy I was when everything cleared up again."

"Yeah," I whispered back, "We have Poison Ivy to thank for that. She used her plants to clean the air. She sacrificed herself for us all."

Barbara blinked in surprise. "I...never realized it was her. Wow," she chuckled weakly, "That's the last thing I'd expect someone like her to do."

"Sometimes you have to dig deep to find someone's good side," I smiled, my heart swelling with sudden affection. "I'm so glad I was able to find you, Barbara." I tilted my head up and kissed her gently, not caring if anyone saw.

A loud snore broke through our little bubble. We both looked over at a heavily bandaged officer who was sleeping with his mouth wide open. Several of the other men were sleepily moaning for someone to shut him up.

I clamped my mouth shut, struggling not to laugh as Barbara hid her giggles behind her hand. She took hold of my injured arm, pulling it towards her. She held up a suturing needle and thread in her other hand.

"It's now or never, Robin," she said with a sly smile.

I gulped. "Do you remember how?"

Oracle deadpanned. "I can't just go forgetting these things," she replied, undoing the bandage around my bicep. "Just keep your eyes on me, OK?"

"Yes, doctor."


	10. Stitches

I hissed through clenched teeth as Barbara washed my wound with a disinfectant one of the nurses had lent her. Although we had reassured the woman that we could handle this, she still shot us concerned gazes from time to time.

"Hold still, Tim," Oracle whispered, holding the tear in my suit open with one hand and stitching the gash with the other. We couldn't risk removing my whole uniform right now.

I watched as her brow furrowed in concentration, eyes following the needle as it pierced my numb skin. She was cute when she focused so hard.

"Er," I mumbled, attempting to start conversation anew. "How did you find out that Jason was behind this all along?"

Barbara stiffened, the needle stabbing through my injured tissue. I grunted in pain. I'd probably asked for that.

"Sorry," she apologized, wiping the blood off my arm. "I can't believe he would try to hurt you like this. I'm glad the bullet only grazed you."

I raised my eyebrow. "You're glad that it took a chunk of my arm with it?"

Babs shot me a look. "Better that than your whole arm being torn apart." It appeared that my little attempt at humor had failed.

She sighed, casting her eyes down to my arm again. "When I was being held hostage, Scarecrow tried to subject me to his 'mad doctor' routine. He wanted to test a new fear injection on me."

My eyes narrowed as my hands balled into fists. The thought of Oracle being subjected to Crane's insane experiments infuriated me to no end.

"But before he could do anything to me, the Arkham Knight burst in. He made Scarecrow leave, and he asked me if I was alright." She bit her lip, nearly done suturing my wound. "I didn't want to hear anything he had to say, but he started talking about Batman and how he wouldn't save me in time," she chuckled mirthlessly. "I argued with him, told him he was wrong. That's when he showed me his face."

Barbara didn't need to explain what is was like seeing Jason risen from the grave. Her eyes gave away all of her devastation.

"I tried to reason with him," she sniffed, pulling the gash in my arm shut. "I told him what he was doing was wrong. I pleaded with him to come back home."

I handed her some scissors to cut off any excess wire. "But he wouldn't listen."

"He wouldn't listen," Barbara repeated, putting the needle away and taking out a fresh roll of bandages. "He was unrecognizable, rageful. He said he wouldn't stop until he killed Batman."

"And for that, he would help endanger the lives of everyone in Gotham? Hell, the East Coast? We saw what almost happened at ACE Chemicals," I reminded her, anger rising in my voice.

She didn't respond, silently wrapping my bicep in a few layers of bandages. I fell back, guilty that I had snapped at her.

"That's the best I can do. I can't repair your sleeve here," said Oracle, eyes on me once more. "I'm really sorry, Tim, but we don't have time to talk about Jason. We have to find Dad and Scarecrow."

"Right," I nodded, getting up and rolling my arm. "Thanks again, Babs."

"Don't mention it," she replied as I pushed her out of the infirmary. "Let's go to the offices. I can work from there."

We strode past the holding cells filled with jeering thugs and into the precinct proper. Aaron Cash stood from behind the main desk as we entered.

"Barbara!" he exclaimed, relieved. "It's great to see you! You, too, Robin."

"Hello, Aaron," she greeted, "It's been a while."

"And your father?" he asked, looking between the two of us.

"I'm sorry, sir. Scarecrow's got him," I replied solemnly.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cash lamented, shaking his head.

"We'll find him," Barbara assured him. "I'll help out from here." She nodded to me, and I began wheeling her to one of the computers.

"Whatever you say," said the officer, moving to follow us. "You work for Batman and Robin now? Hell, what am I saying?" he chuckled, "We all do, right?"

Soon, Oracle was back on her home turf, hammering away at the computer.

"OK. Let's see," she mused, navigating the GCPD servers and opening some programs. "First, establish comms with the Clock Tower Computer." The computer whirred loudly as it struggled to keep up with her commands. "They should really upgrade these machines. OK. We're in."

A live feed from one of the clock tower's security cameras appeared on screen. Unfortunately, what we saw wasn't good.

"Damn it!," Babs cursed, watching as enemy soldiers laid waste to the server room. "Scarecrow's men are already there."

"Can you copy the data off the mainframe?" I asked her urgently.

She entered a few keystrokes before groaning in frustration. "I can't. The militia are locking down our access." The camera's feed went dead just as she said that.

"We've lost the connection," said Oracle, looking to me with panicked eyes. "We need that data. It's the only way to find my dad!"

"Don't worry," I told her, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, "I'll take care of it."

"You can't go there!" Barbara argued, "They'll be expecting you!"

I smirked before making my exit. "I'm counting on it."


	11. Massacre

After dealing with a clock tower full of Scarecrow's militia and saving what was left of our data, I was all set to return to the precinct. That is, until I noticed Nightwing wandering around Chinatown. I swooped down from my rooftop perch and landed a few paces behind him. The older vigilante was crouched in front of a body, most likely one of Gotham's delinquent goons.

"Nightwing," I called, approaching him. I was curious as to whether he had succeeded in locating Jason.

Dick stood up and faced me, expression grim. "Robin," he greeted with a curt nod. "Did you and Oracle make it to the GCPD OK?"

"Yeah," I replied, scanning the small plaza around us. To my surprise, more thugs lay limp in the shadows. "Um...I see you've been keeping busy." I shot him a questioning look.

"This wasn't me." Dick shook his head, returning to the man he'd been examining. He turned the thug on his back with his boot. Lightning struck, illuminating the bullet holes in his dark jacket. The man's lifeless eyes stared up from his pale face into the stormy sky above.

I blanched, looking about the plaza once more. Pools of blood surrounded many of the bodies, staining the cold concrete. Nightwing had stumbled upon the scene of a massacre.

A terrible thought occurred to me. "Dick...who did this?"

Nightwing looked at me with pained eyes before casting them to the ground. "What happened to you, Jaybird?" he mumbled sadly.

"Now, now, boys," a silky voice crooned, causing us to jump into fighting stances. "There's no need to cry over spilled milk. Unless you're a starving kitten, of course."

"Show yourself," I commanded, not in the mood for games.

A petite figure strolled out of the darkness behind Nightwing, her high-heeled boots clicking against the bloody pavement. We both tensed as her face appeared in the moonlight.

"What do you want, Selina?" Nightwing grumbled, twirling one of his escrima sticks warningly.

Catwoman pouted mockingly. "Oh, Dickie-bird, is that any way to greet an old friend?" She asked, pacing around the man. Her eyes raked his body shamelessly. "It's been so long since I've seen either of you boys. Bruce sure knows how to raise them right," she grinned with a wink.

I kept my mouth shut, knowing I would just blurt out something ridiculous. Catwoman sure had a way with certain men.

Dick sighed, relaxing and sheathing his weapon. "I thought you'd hightailed it out of here when everything hit the fan," he said, crossing his arms.

"I might've," the thief shrugged, coming to stand before us casually. "If I wasn't being held against my will by a certain Eddie Nigma. What a poor man, always trying to prove how clever he thinks he is."

"The Riddler?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "How'd you get away?"

"I was getting to that, Timmy," she replied sharply, somewhat irked by my presence. "Tall, brooding, and handsome had to solve all of these ridiculous puzzles to free me, but I knew he wouldn't fail," she smirked, "He hasn't so far."

"That's all really nice," Nightwing interjected, now irritated. "But I'm in the middle of looking for someone, so if you won't help-"

"Would this someone happen to be a dashing young man who looks like Tom Cruise?" Catwoman wondered out loud. "He had some sort of tattoo right here." she tapped her face right below her left eye. "He seemed so distraught while he brutally murdered everyone in his sight. It's a shame I couldn't give him a little comfort."

"Wait, I...what?" Dick stammered, eyes wide. "You saw him? Can you tell me where he went?"

"Oh, was he someone you knew?" she replied with a sly grin. "Why, Dickie, I never thought you'd-"

"Selina!" he snarled, cutting the thief off.

I silently maintained my distance, never having seen Nightwing lose his temper. The last thing I wanted was to be caught in the middle of their squabble.

"Someone's being touchy," Catwoman muttered, placing a hand on her hip. "Fine, if you insist," she sniffed, beginning her tale. "After Bruce freed me from the Riddler, I came here looking for any little treasures I could claim. Chinatown is popular with the tourists, and I figured someone could have dropped something valuable while they were fleeing for their lives."

"What about Ja-that man?" I asked, noticing Dick fuming beside me.

"I was inside one of the stores over there when I heard shouting, gunfire," she motioned over to the far side of the plaza. "I snuck out to take a peek, and that's when I saw him." She closed her eyes, as if relishing the memory. "A big gang of thugs surrounded him. He was hopelessly outnumbered, but he charged. He was like a lion, tearing his enemies apart with a rage that, frankly, left me a little breathless."

I frowned. Catwoman sounded like she had enjoyed watching Jason a little more than what was necessary.

"These poor guys never stood a chance," she continued, looking over at one of the bodies. "I can still hear his furious roars echoing in my ears, their screams as they begged for mercy, only to be shot like dogs."

"Get on with it," Nightwing growled, glaring at the thief's overdramatics.

"You boys," Selina hissed, voice rising dangerously. "Need to learn some manners." The hand resting on her whip tightened.

"Good going, Nightwing," I muttered, reaching for my staff. Something told me that Catwoman wouldn't let us off the hook so easily.

The vigilante sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, Selina. Please continue with your captivating story."

"I suppose your...punishment can wait," she replied, unclenching her jaw. "I know you two have places to go, people to see, so I'll make this fast." She pointed a clawed hand towards a darkened hotel. "He stormed off into that hotel, probably to get some rest. I haven't seen him since," she concluded.

Nightwing's eyes traveled up the building, searching for any indication of Jason's presence. I followed his gaze, catching sight of a few glowing windows.

"Alright," Dick nodded, satisfied, "I suppose I should thank you, Selina."

"No problem," she replied, walking past the vigilante. Her fingers trailed gently along his shoulder blades as she passed. "I'll leave you and Timmy to it then. Say 'hi' to Bruce for me." With that, she strutted away, no doubt on the hunt for more loot.

"OK, what's the plan?" I asked, looking between the hotel and Nightwing.

The older man bit his lip in concentration. "I think I-EEP!" he squeaked suddenly as the crack of a whip reverberated through the air. I spun around just in time to see Catwoman's silhouette flip to the top of a nearby building and vanish from sight.

"Stupid catty lady," Nightwing grumbled, rubbing his backside sheepishly.

"You better watch out, Dick," I grinned amusedly. "I don't think she was kidding when she mentioned your 'punishment'."

"Shut the hell up," he retorted, face red. Without saying another word, he strode towards the hotel.

After a moment of thought, I followed him. Something in my mind urged me to meet face-to-face with Jason once more. My reasons became clear as we approached the ominous building.


	12. Confession

**A/N: Here's Chapter 12. It's full of Tim and Dick brother moments, but I'm honestly stalling until I know what I want to do for their encounter with Jason. Thank you all for your patience. If any of you have any ideas about how I should proceed, just leave a review. I'm all ears!**

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"Tim, I have to do this alone."

I blinked, taken aback. "You can't be serious, Dick. You saw how violent he'd been with those goons back there."

"I'll be fine," he insisted, stopping in front of the hotel's entrance. "Jason and I...we go way back. If anyone can get through to him, it's me."

"Barbara tried that already," I argued worriedly, "He completely rebuffed her, and that was before we unmasked and humiliated him. I don't want you to end up like those guys in the plaza."

"Well, I'm not her," Nightwing retorted, eyes narrowing. "And why do you care? You didn't know Jay like we did. And I hope you didn't forget that you locked Bruce up. You should be tracking Scarecrow down, not trying to tag along with me."

I fought down the urge to say something nasty in return. Dick's words hurt, but I knew, deep inside, that reaching out to Jason could only help end Scarecrow's terrible reign over our city.

"I just want a chance to talk to Jason," I admitted to Nightwing's surprise. "I feel...responsible for all this, in some way." I cast my eyes down, unwilling to meet his gaze as I wrestled with my bottled-up guilt. "When I found out who you guys were, I was so eager to become Robin. I'd never wanted something so badly in my life. I didn't give much thought as to what happened to Jason." I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat. "So I pleaded with Batman, used every opportunity I could to prove my worth. And all that time Bruce wasted training me to fight crime, he could've been searching for Jason. He could've found him, for God's sake!"

Getting all of that off of my chest left me feeling numb and empty. I took several shaky breaths to calm myself down. "But, no. I had to come along and screw it all up, didn't I?" I sighed, turning away in shame.

Dick was silent for a long while. I figured he had left me in the rain, fed up with my excuses.

"Tim," Nightwing's soft voice came from closer than I'd expected. I raised my head, looking into the sad eyes of the man in front of me. "No one ever blamed you for what happened to Jason. You gotta understand that, for all we knew, Jason could've run off on his own. From what I heard, he and Bruce had a falling out and that was the last time he ever saw him."

"Did you try looking for him?" I asked as Dick led me through the hotel's entrance.

"Barbara and I followed any lead that we could find on our off time," he shrugged, melancholy. "But I was still in Blüdhaven and it looked like Jason had fallen off the grid. He grew up on the streets, so he knew how to hide himself pretty damn well."

"If only that had been the case," I murmured, Joker's horrendous video resurfacing from the darkness of my subconscious. I smartly decided not to mention it; no one even knew that I'd seen it.

I glanced around the silent, dark lobby for any signs of danger. The only objects that stood out were some suitcase racks and a few scattered bags. I pitied the tourists who'd been staying here; their impression of Gotham would likely be forever tarnished by this calamity.

Nightwing hummed thoughtfully, scanning our barren surroundings. He turned to me again, face serious. "I'll let you come with me, but," he announced, holding his hand up before I could thank him. "If things go south, I need you to get out of here. Everyone is still counting on you to finish what Bruce couldn't and protect Gotham."

"Deal," I agreed with a small smile. "But talk about mounting on the pressure, man!"

"I know you can handle it," Dick chuckled, coming forward and slipping a memory card into my palm. "This was all the data I had time to collect at the mall. I'm sure Oracle will find some use for it."

I made to pull my hand away, but the older man held on, clasping it gently. I looked at him questioningly, and he reciprocated with a warm, brotherly smile.

"Just for the record, you make an amazing Robin. Don't ever forget that."

I grinned, the heat rising to my masked face. "Thanks, Dick. You weren't so bad yourself." Hearing Nightwing, a hero I had always looked up to, commend me sure meant a lot.

"Don't get too big for your britches," he warned playfully, heading towards the building's stairwell. "Damn, Jason could be hiding anywhere."

Activating the optics in my mask, I cast my eyes toward the ceiling. My enhanced vision cut through the multiple floors easily, outlining several figures who had taken refuge in the rooms. One in particular, a few floors up, caught my attention.

"Nightwing," I called, beckoning with my hand. "Up there, the suite on the third floor." The person in question paced erratically about the room, flinging the occasional object against the wall. I highlighted the target red on my mask's display.

"That's our best bet." Dick took a deep breath, opening the door to the stairwell. I followed him in, keeping an eye out for any hidden goons looking to jump us.

"Is there anything else I should know about Jason before we bust in?" I asked in a hushed tone as we crept up the stairs.

"When Jason became Robin, he wasn't as acrobatic or agile as I was," Nightwing whispered back, carefully stepping into the third floor hallway. "He had to rely on his rage and brute strength when he fought. Somehow, that made him all the more dangerous."

"So he was a loose cannon?" I surmised, keeping an eye on our red target.

"Yeah," Nightwing nodded, slowly making his way to the suite's door. "But this was before the Joker got his dirty hands on him. Who knows what kind of person he's molded Jay into?" His fists clenched in anger.

I reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure we can get through to him. You guys were 'brothers', after all."

Dick turned and stared at me over his shoulder. In the dim light, his once cheerful blue eye was iced over with fear.

"I want to believe that, Tim," he replied anxiously. "But once we open that door, I have no idea what the hell's gonna happen. I don't know what Jason's gonna do when he sees us. He isn't the boy I once knew. Not anymore."


	13. Apology

We stood before the suite's double doors unsurely, as if they were a portal into a terrifying alternate dimension. A bloodied body lay next to them, perhaps that of the room's previous occupant.

"Watch my back," Nightwing muttered, pulling out his remote hacker.

"Wait!" I hissed, making him hesitate and send me a questioning glance. "Maybe we could, I don't know, knock?" It made sense to keep the situation from escalating out of control.

Nightwing bit his lip, examining the doors. "He could've booby trapped them."

"Well, my mask isn't picking up anything out of the ordinary," I assured the vigilante, moving past him and closer to the entrance. The red figure remained seated on one of the beds, toying with a familiar handgun. He had to be Jason.

I extended my staff, the bullet shield emerging to protect my vitals. I reached my hand out and, taking a deep breath, knocked twice on the door. Here goes nothing.

I motioned for Nightwing to get behind me and my shield in case Jason decided to attack the door with a barrage of bullets.

"WHO THE FUCK IS OUT THERE?!" a loud roar echoed throughout the hall. I flinched, expecting the former Robin to open fire and tear the doors apart.

Dick replied before I could do anything. "It's me, Jason! Don't shoot." He jostled past me, pushing me back into the darkened hallway. He pressed a finger to his lips, imploring me to stay quiet.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Dick standing in the path of a gun-toting sadist, but I knew I had to respect his wishes and do things his way.

Jason cursed from within the suite, stomping towards the door. We listened as he unlocked the chain and deadbolt before flinging the doors open. I froze as the barrel of a gun was pressed against Dick's forehead. I'd been hoping that he wouldn't murder us on the spot.

"What do you want?" The Arkham Knight growled lowly, glaring right into the older man's bewildered eyes.

From the light pouring out of the suite, I could see that Jason had stripped out of most of his armor. He wore a dark undershirt along with a pair of cargo pants. His sweaty hair stuck to his forehead, the familiar ferocity twisting his face.

Dick gulped, managing a small, nervous smile. "Hey, Jaybird. We wanted to see if you had a chance to talk."

"'We'?" Jason hissed, eyes finding me in the dark hallway. "Robin," he snarled furiously. Quick as a flash, he pulled out his second gun, aiming straight at me.

I ducked behind my bullet shield, peeking over the top. "Good to see you, too," I replied cooly, struggling not to betray my anxiousness. He had us pinned. One wrong move and at least one of us would get our brains blown out.

"Er...can we come in?" Nightwing asked carefully, just as tense as I was.

The Knight looked between the two of us. "What did you come here to do? Capture me? Interrogate me?" He questioned, voice shaky. "You already ruined me in front of my militia, everyone!"

"We didn't come for any of that," Dick replied placatingly. "I promise."

Jason paused, eyes darting between us both. He then shook his head and lowered his guns. "Why am I wasting my fucking time?" He muttered annoyedly. "I can't even stop you from trying to bust in here. You want to talk? Fine. Doesn't mean I'll listen." With that, he wheeled around and stalked back into the room.

Dick turned to me and shrugged helplessly before entering behind the Knight. I steeled myself as I followed him into the hotel room. We were in Jason's domain now, and I wasn't sure what to expect from the angry man. I made sure to shut the doors before proceeding.

I took a quick look around the suite. Everything appeared to be in order, minus the scattered pieces of armor and the shattered TV mounted on the wall. The curtains on the living room window had been yanked shut, blocking out the stormy night.

Nightwing had taken a seat on the sofa, toying with his domino mask in his hands. I hung back, leaning against the counter of the suite's small kitchen. I was nowhere near comfortable enough to remove my mask and expose my identity; not when things between the three of us were so tense.

Jason chose that moment to emerge from the bathroom, running a hand through his now wet hair and pacing across the living room. I took the opportunity to better examine him as he moved to sit in an armchair next to Dick. His bare, muscled arms were crisscrossed with cuts and scars. I wondered how many of those were from his training, and how many were from the Joker. I tried not to let my eyes linger, knowing my staring would only irritate him more.

The former Robin flung himself into the soft chair, hands gripping his guns lazily. His blue-green eyes burned holes into Nightwing and I, and he continued to silently glare for several long moments. It was as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with us.

Dick cleared his throat, breaking the overwhelming silence. "It's...good to see you, Jason," he told his former friend, voice earnest and truthful.

"Really?" the Arkham Knight drawled, thoroughly unimpressed. "You sure about that?"

"Well," the older man replied, looking ahead at the broken TV in front of him. "Considering your recent...exploits...I think I was right to feel a little disappointed as well."

Rage flashed across Jason's face, his grip on his weapons tightening. I held my breath, hand tightening around my staff's handle.

"You don't understand, Dick," he replied, frustrated. "You don't know what it's like for someone you trust to abandon you when you need them most; for them to leave you for dead in a living hell! I was doing the right thing here!"

Nightwing faced the former Robin, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his mouth against his linked hands. "I know, Jay. I'm sorry." he apologized miserably. "I failed you. We all did."

"Damn right, you…" Jason trailed off, as if suddenly remembering that I was in the room with them. His eyes burned with hatred. "What the hell is this kid doing here?" he asked Nightwing, pointing at me with his gun. "If he's here to preach about how wrong I am again, then he's got another thing coming."

As much as I wanted to tell the man off, I knew I had to be patient. "I'm only here to help you, Jason. I know we didn't meet on the best of terms, but-"

"You're Tim Drake," Jason spat, cutting me off. "Son of Jack and Janet Drake, now Bruce Wayne's ward, computer science major who's dating Barbara Gordon and likes to cage fight in his spare time."

I blinked, unsure how to respond to him having kept tabs on me.

"Don't look so surprised," Jason chuckled darkly, "I've done my homework. Not bad for the brat who stole my place."

"I never-"

"Save it, Birdboy" the Arkham Knight growled, rising to his feet. "You won't fool me with your 'innocent' crap. You knew exactly what you were doing when you wormed your way into Batman's good graces!"

His words tore into me and tugged at the insecurities I thought I had hidden away. He was making me out to be some lowdown opportunist, and he accused me with so much intensity that I almost believed him.

"Jason," Nightwing warned, standing up between us.

"Stay out of this, Grayson!" Jason yelled, advancing threateningly. "I can't believe you even trust this kid! Didn't he find out our identities on his own? For all I know, he could've blackmailed his way to Bruce's side!"

"Tim isn't like that," Dick snapped, fists clenched. This wasn't good. Our plan to talk some sense into the former Robin was falling apart.

"You're right," I blurted out before I could think. The two men turned their gazes on me. I tried not to shrink away from Jason's murderous glare.

"Not about the blackmail, I mean," I corrected, motioning with my hand. "I went to Batman knowing that he needed a new Robin. I wanted it so bad that I turned a blind eye to your disappearance. No one ever talked to me about you, so I kept my mouth shut and focused on completing my training."

The Arkham Knight remained impassive as I spoke. Nightwing remained tense, ready to jump to my aid if he lashed out.

"Bruce dedicated so much time to make me into a worthy crime fighter; time he could've used to save you and bring you home," I sighed, my fingers toying with the edge of my cape. "I took your rightful place in Wayne Manor while you suffered unbearably. And for that, I can never forgive myself." I met Jason's blue-green eyes, trying not to linger on the "J" branded on his face. "But I was hoping we could put aside our differences, for now, and make Gotham safe again. From one Robin to another."

Dick smiled softly, happy with my little soliloquy to the Arkham Knight. Our adversary, however, remained unresponsive. I stared at him earnestly, conveying all of my sympathy for him and regret for what I had inadvertently done. Barbara would always fall for the puppy-dog eyes, but that would've been a tad inappropriate considering the situation.

Jason finally opened his mouth, but what came out was a harsh, cold laugh that chilled me to bone. My face fell. Whatever the Joker had done to him, he was now an angry and psychotic shell of the hero he once was.

"Jason," Nightwing mumbled, not in a reprimanding way, but in fear of what his "brother" had become.

"You still don't get it, do you?" The Arkham Knight smirked, stepping back and spreading his arms out cockily. "I didn't come all the way to Gotham to hear your apologies, replacement. Did Daddy-Bats make you seek me out just to say that? He must know that I'm here, back from beyond the grave."

"Bruce doesn't know," Nightwing interjected, brow furrowed. "He's been out of commission for a while now."

"I don't think it'd be a good idea for him to see you," I added somberly, "Not in the condition he's in now."

"I don't give a fuck!" Jason barked, twirling his guns in agitation. "My endgame was never to make up with that man, or be part of his happy little family."

Barbara had warned me about his true intentions, but I found myself unprepared to hear them straight from his mouth.

"Mark my words; when I find Batman, I'm going to make him beg for his life. Then, I'll end it myself!"


	14. Chasm

**A/N: I can not tell you how many times I've rewritten this chapter. At first, I kept writing Jason as if he were from "Under the Red Hood"; his character in that movie and in Arkham Knight differ substantially for several reasons. Thanks to Silverheart for your review; it helped me put things in my story into perspective. I'm satisfied with Chapter 14 now, so I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

The Arkham Knight's vile declaration echoed about the hotel suite, ringing in our ears. I could only fume silently in response. I'd known that confronting Jason was a mistake but, of course, I just had to go and search for whatever good was left in him. I was a fool for even trying; if Barbara and Dick couldn't get through to him, what made me think that I had the ability to do so?

"You-you...killing Bruce isn't going to solve anything!" Dick stammered, glaring intently at the former Robin. "And it sure as hell won't make you feel any better!"

"I don't know, Nightwing," I commented icily, folding my arms across my chest. "He doesn't seem to have any remorse for massacring all those people outside." By now, the Arkham Knight had thoroughly pissed me off. I was done being nice.

"Those guys had it coming," Jason scoffed, tensing up. "They thought they could jump me, so I showed them just how worthless they all were."

"Yeah, before you pumped them full of lead," I shot back, eyes narrowing. "Some lesson."

Dick shot me a desperate look over his shoulder as he stood in front of me, arms raised to keep Jason from charging. I wasn't helping him calm Jason down, but right then, I couldn't have cared less.

"IT WAS NECESSARY!" Jason exploded, throwing one of his handguns. Dick cried out and I tilted my head easily, the weapon flying past my ear and smashing against something in the kitchen behind me.

"Batman never understood how to control crime," Jason breathed heavily, glare fiery. "I got sick of watching the same criminals terrorize the innocent time and time again, so I set out to end it, once and for all," he growled spitefully. "But I slipped up and fell right into the Joker's trap. I waited for days, weeks, months; endured a lifetime of torture and humiliation, but Bruce never came for me!"

"Oh my-he thought you were DEAD, Jason!" I practically shouted in exasperation. "Joker sent us a video! He shot you, point-blank, right in front of the video camera!"

Nightwing shot me a look of surprise. "You...saw that?" He muttered.

"I did," I admitted. "I know I shouldn't've, but I did."

Meanwhile, Jason had frozen, eyes glazing over as if he were having a terrible flashback. Perhaps my outburst had sent him back to that very moment, where the Joker had sealed his fate?

"That's still no excuse," the Arkham Knight growled, shaking his head and coming back to his senses. "Faking someone's death is child's play if you know what you're doing. You all stopped caring about me long before then!"

Nightwing and I were rendered silent by Jason's assertion. He was absolutely right; even when Batman thought his second Robin was dead, he could've at least found his remains and brought them home.

"I never stopped looking, Jay," Dick entreated him in desperation. "Neither did Barbara. Before we learned that Joker had you, we figured that you just didn't want to be found."

I, however, was through arguing with the enraged man. "It's no use," I whispered, leaning close to Dick's ear. "I'm sorry, but we really should head out. Gotham still needs us, and we've done everything we could for Jason."

"You should listen to your Batbrat, Dickhead," Jason seethed, motioning towards the front doors with his remaining gun. "You got what you wanted, right? We talked. Now get out of here before my trigger finger slips."

Nightwing eyes flew between the two of us helplessly. "Jason, I...please," he choked out, voice breaking, "You know Scarecrow's forces inside and out. You can help us!"

"We'll stop him, Dick," I reassured him, eager to leave the Arkham Knight's nauseating presence and return to the GCPD. "We have Oracle's data."

"Robin," he frowned, eyebrows arching apologetically. Our quarreling had left him looking years older. "I can't leave him again." He turned to face his estranged "brother" once more. "If you help us stop Scarecrow, I'll let you see Batman."

"What?" I exclaimed. Was Nightwing really making a deal with the Arkham Knight? There was no way this would end well.

"You're bluffing," Jason replied, blue-green eyes narrow. "After everything I just told you, you'd take me to wherever the hell Bruce is hiding out?"

"Dick, no," I hissed, feeling betrayed. "This is gonna backfire and-"

"Tim!" the man snapped, silencing me. "Trust me, please." He walked up to Jason, holding out his gloved hand. "If you help us stop Scarecrow and all the other madmen running amuck on the streets, I'll take you to Bruce," he repeated determinedly.

The apprehension disappeared from Jason's posture. "You're not kidding, are you?" He replied, looking down at Dick's outstretched hand.

"I'd never lie to you like that, Jay," Dick assured him adamantly. "I mean, look at yourself! Your militia's abandoned you and you're just sitting here while Scarecrow terrorizes what's left of this city. You spent years of your life building this army to kill one man, and not one of your soldiers stopped to help you up when you were down. But I'm here to do just that and give you another chance, if you'd let me."

I expected another one of Jason's tantrums to follow at any moment. To my surprise, his demeanor completely changed. Emotion surged through his face and he became the lost and scared boy we'd seen on the floor of the shopping mall. It was gone in an instant, replaced by one of his signature smirks.

"You sure have a way with words, don't you, Dick?" he chuckled, meeting the older man's expectant eyes. I did a double-take when I heard his response. Even his voice was different, lighter. "But if you think I'm just gonna sit down with Batman and have a nice chat, then-"

"I know, Jason," Nightwing interjected, "All that anger and hate you have for us, save it for the ones who're threatening Gotham. They can't get away with what they've done," he concluded with an intensity I didn't expect from the usually mild-mannered vigilante.

Jason's brow furrowed, looking between me and Nightwing's hand as his eyes swam with turmoil. He lifted his hand, clenching and unclenching it insecurely. Finally, he took a deep breath, reaching out across the metaphorical chasm between us and clasping his "brother's" waiting hand.


	15. Armistice

"I'm sorry for not keeping in touch, Barbara," I smiled apologetically, sitting on the suite's sofa.

"It's OK," she sighed, her voice relieved in my earpiece. "I'm almost done combing through the data we've gathered on Scarecrow. I'll let you know what I find when you get back."

"Of course," I replied as Dick stepped out of the bathroom, drying his dark hair with a towel. "I'm gonna have some company, though."

"Nightwing's coming?"

"Yeah...Jason's coming, too. Dick found him and convinced him to help," I revealed, knowing how important the former Robin was to her.

"Wha...you're serious?" she responded, torn between excitement and apprehension. "He's really coming back?"

"Yeah," I chuckled tiredly, "Talking to him sure wasn't a cakewalk, but Dick got through to him."

"That's great!" Babs exclaimed, "Thank you so much. Jason was a close friend, and...seeing him the way he was…"

"I know," I murmured, glad that she was content. "We'll be over in a bit. We're just waiting for Jason to suit up."

"Alright. Be safe, Tim. I love you."

"I love you more," I grinned, "See you soon."

"Awww," Nightwing cooed teasingly as I ended the call. "You guys can be so mushy when you wanna be," he grinned as he strapped his outer armor back into place.

"Yeah, yeah," I brushed him off, rising to my feet. "Comes with the territory." Secretly, I was happy to see him in higher spirits once more. It made this grueling night a little more bearable.

"I'm still not totally cool with that deal you struck with him," I reminded the older man, walking to the kitchen and helping myself to a glass of water. I glanced at the bedroom door the Arkham Knight had disappeared into after accepting Nightwing's terms.

"I know, I pulled that one out of my ass," he replied, pressing his mask back onto his face. "I wasn't thinking, you know? It all just tumbled out of my mouth, so I rolled with it. I'm hoping that fighting alongside us again will convince Jay not to murder Batman the next time they meet."

I swallowed a mouthful of water. "OK, I get that, Dick. I'm not mad anymore, but I haven't seen Bruce since I put him into quarantine. His mind is unstable, and I don't think shoving his long-lost sidekick in his face will help him any; and Jason will freak out if he sees that the Joker is taking control of him."

Nightwing's face fell when I mentioned Bruce's irremediable affliction. I'd been doing a good job of repelling the hopelessness of our mentor's condition, but seeing Dick so forlorn put a crack in my defenses.

"Heh. Even after that crazy fucker kicked the bucket in Arkham City," Nightwing chuckled humorlessly, "He still found a way to torment us in the worst way possible."

I nodded in mute agreement. Watching the Joker's last hosts succumb to his twisted will was frightening enough; I had no idea how Batman had kept it hidden so well, and for so long. It was obvious by his recent behavior that his control over his psyche was slipping away. I forced myself not to picture Bruce languishing in his sterile, isolated cell, the Clown Prince's demented laughter his only company.

The bedroom door suddenly creaked open, and Dick and I turned to see Jason step out into the living room again. The Arkham Knight had dressed himself quite differently than before; he'd discarded most of his sleek, militaristic armor in favor of a lighter chestplate. A black and silver leather jacket with a red liner covered his bulky frame. Knee-high, metal combat boots, as well as stocked utility belts circling his waist and thighs completed the look.

I noticed Jason observing his shattered, red helmet in his gloved hands. I tensed up involuntarily, recalling our short, but arduous, battle we had in the derelict shopping mall. If Nightwing hadn't shown up when he did, there would've been no telling how our fight could've ended.

Dick whistled lowly, impressed by the former Robin's outfit. "That's a neat getup you've put together, Jaybird."

"Thanks. I have to mix things up if I want to stay incognito," he explained with a slight smirk. "I'm sure Deathstroke got a kick out of dragging my name through the mud after taking control of my army."

"Yeah...sorry about your helmet-face...thing," Dick apologized with a sheepish grin.

"Forget it," Jason grunted, placing the damaged object in a drawer underneath the television. "I was gonna tear your little bird apart. You had to act." He turned his stormy eyes on me, lingering on my bandaged arm. I didn't expect an apology, and I didn't receive one.

"That's in the past," I told him, the anger from our previous argument gone. "What matters now is that you're working with us to stop Scarecrow and his posse."

"Don't get too used to it, Timmy. Can I call you that?" he teased, an unfamiliar gleam in his eyes. I was, once again, put off by his rapid changes of disposition.

"You can call me Robin," I replied curtly, a chill descending upon us. My distrust prevented me from fully opening up to my predecessor. I fished a spare mask out of my utility belt, tossing it to the Arkham Knight. "Here. This will help protect your identity."

He caught it easily, turning it over in his hands. "Black? Really?" He shrugged, pressing it to his branded face.

"It's better than nothing," I told him haughtily. "Especially since we're heading to a precinct full of cops who are just dying to know who helped turn Gotham into a living nightmare. But they won't find out a thing if you play nice."

"Tim," Nightwing groaned in admonishment.

"You should watch yourself, kid," Jason growled lowly, rolling his broad shoulders. "Just because we're cooperating now doesn't mean I have to take your threats."

"OK!" Dick exclaimed, dissolving the tension in the air. "I'd say we've been cooped up in here long enough. Let's hit the road!" With that, he turned and walked down the hall to the front doors.

Shutting off the kitchen lights, I moved to follow him. I glanced at the Arkham Knight, silently warning him not to try anything while my back was turned. He rolled his eyes, following me into the dim hallway where Nightwing was waiting.

Jason shut the double doors behind us, punching some numbers into an attached keypad and securing whatever belongings he'd left in there. We climbed down to the empty hotel lobby in no time, the glass doors the only things separating us from the unfriendly city outside.

"Ready, Jaybird?" Dick smiled encouragingly as we stood before them.

The Arkham Knight bit his lip dubiously, looking over at the building's stairwell one last time. I raised an eyebrow, hoping to God that he wasn't having serious second thoughts about all this.

He took a deep breath, pulling his bright red hood over his head and concealing his face in shadow.

"Let's roll," Jason replied, leading the way through the door. And three brave Robins emerged onto the rainy streets of Gotham.


	16. Goodbyes

Bleake Island was looking bleaker than usual this Halloween night. The faux-Asian architecture of Chinatown loomed darkly over the grimy street before us, across from where the victims of Jason's rage still lay. I wisely chose not to mention them as I called the Batmobile.

"Oracle's almost done sorting through all our data," I announced, waiting for the armored car to arrive. "Combined with the data Nightwing collected, it should be enough to pinpoint Crane's location and save Commissioner Gordon."

"Got it," Dick nodded, looking about our surroundings. "Aw, crap," he frowned, "Where'd Jason run off to?"

We got our answer in the revving of a motorcycle engine. A beam of light poured from a nearby alley, and Jason emerged straddling a streamlined and powerful bike. From what I could see, it came equipped with a few on-board weapons and computer. It was certainly an admirable feat of engineering, but I wasn't about to admit that out loud.

"Nice ride," Nightwing complimented him, stepping forward to get a closer look.

The Arkham Knight crossed his arms, leaning back in the seat. "Tanks and drones weren't the only kind of vehicles I invested in. I decided to treat myself for all the hard work I did putting the militia together."

I scowled at his nonchalant tone, wondering just who else pitched in to support Jason's expensive cause.

Just then, the Batmobile swerved around the corner, sending some loitering thugs diving for cover. Feeling confident, I stepped back onto to the street and into the armored car's path.

"Very impressive," I commended Jason derisively, adrenaline rushing through my veins as the Batmobile pivoted and slid towards me. Bruce had me practice this maneuver hundreds of times, so I wasn't too worried about screwing up and being plowed over.

I jumped over the fast-moving car, flipping in the air as the Batmobile's cockpit slid open. With a whoop, I landed in the driver's seat. The holographic Batcomputer screens appeared in front of me, awaiting my commands.

Dick golf clapped as he approached the car's back seats. "Sweet moves, Tim!"

"Show off," Jason ground out, fingers curling tightly over his motorcycle's handles.

I grinned boyishly, oddly satisfied by the effect my little demonstration had on the two older vigilantes. "Thanks, but you have no idea how many times I nearly became roadkill when Bats was teaching me that."

I pulled up an overview of our comms network, looking over the short list of our operatives working in Gotham.

 _Batman: OFFLINE_

 _Robin: ONLINE_

 _Oracle: ONLINE_

 _Nightwing: ONLINE_

 _Fox: ONLINE_

 _Batcave: ONLINE_

 _Gordon: OFFLINE_

I hesitated, wondering if Jason were trustworthy enough to add to our network. I was still fuzzy on where his loyalties truly lay. But if Dick was willing to put his faith in the Arkham Knight, I had little choice but to comply. Opening up communications between us would be the first step in ensuring our continued alliance.

"I'm adding you to our comms network," I called over to Jason, "But you're going to need a new alias." I scanned his suit, looking for any distinguishing features. "How about...Red Hood?" I suggested, noticing the bright garment covering his head.

He tensed up considerably at the name, shoulders squaring as he gripped his bike's handles even harder. Dumbstruck, I looked over at Nightwing, who could only wince in return. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks; the Red Hood had been Joker's old alias before he'd taken his infamous acid bath. There'd be no way Jason would want to be associated with him in that way.

The Arkham Knight sighed heavily, releasing his agitation before I could take back what I suggested. "Whatever floats your boat, kid," he muttered, shrugging lazily.

"Alright," I responded quietly, setting up a new entry on the Batcomputer's list. "Open up your comms; I need to test the connection."

Jason nodded, rolling up the sleeve of his jacket and pressing some buttons on his gauntlet.

 _Red Hood: ONLINE_

"Testing, testing," I spoke into my mic, grimacing at the high-pitched feedback that followed.

Jason growled, pressing his hand against his ear. "God, replacement, don't make me deaf! I'm reading you, loud and clear."

"Good," I replied, "Now we can-"

I was interrupted by an incoming call. I took one look at the screen and felt the color draining from my face. An intense fear took hold of my gut, twisting it without mercy.

 _Batman: ONLINE_

 _INCOMING CALL_

 _ACCEPT/DECLINE_

No way...this was impossible! I cut his comms! What did he-?

"Hey, Rob," Nightwing called, walking over to the cockpit, "Everything alright?"

I barely heard him over the ringing in my ears. My hand flew out, pressing a button that sealed me inside the Batmobile. The protective cockpit engulfed me in a suffocating silence that was only broken by the beeping communicator.

I stared, wide-eyed, at the Batcomputer's screen. Should I accept the call? What the hell should I tell him? Was that even Bruce on the other end?

I was, once again, assaulted by the image of my father figure sitting alone in his miserable cell, the Joker's whispers driving him to madness. He probably couldn't take it anymore, and had to reach out to someone. Even after all that's happened tonight, I couldn't deny him some much needed correspondence.

My finger pressed the button, accepting the call. A fuzzy image appeared on the screen, and I tried not to flinch. The skin on Bruce's haggard face was pale and taut against his skull. His sickly emerald eyes were ringed with dark circles, indicating that he'd had little rest whatsoever. The stress and worry weighing him down must've been unbearable. The Batman looked like he would keel over and succumb to the Joker's infection any moment.

"Hi, Tim," he coughed, clearing his throat. "I hope this isn't a bad time. I was able to bypass the security lockdown to contact you."

I opened my mouth, no sound escaping for a few seconds. "I...no, Bruce, everything's going fine," I mumbled, eyes glued to the elder man's face.

"I see," he nodded gravely. "I'm sorry about before, Tim...I wasn't exactly myself."

That was certainly an understatement. "I understand," I replied quietly, "Really, I do."

"Thank you," he muttered, rubbing his temple with his free hand. His face screwed up in some sort of mental anguish, and the raging regret inside me took over. What had I done to him by forcing him into quarantine?

"Robin," he spoke seriously. "There's something I forgot to tell you before you left; It's about Oracle."

"She's not dead."

Bruce blinked, face falling. "Oh, Tim...I wish-"

"No, she's really not dead, Bruce," I interrupted him frustratedly. By now, my insides were an emotional mess. "Whatever you saw happen to her, Scarecrow wanted you to see."

"He...manipulated me," Batman growled, face darkening. "I should've seen it coming, but…"

"I know," I murmured, recalling how many times he'd been hit with fear toxin. "Nightwing and I saved her after I destroyed the Cloudburst, but...the Commissioner was captured by Crane."

"And the Arkham Knight?"

I chanced a look out the window at my two companions; Red Hood had jumped off his bike, shouting and gesturing angrily in my direction. Nightwing stood before him, arms raised and trying to keep the former Robin calm until I reappeared. Mentioning the latest addition to our triad was definitely not a good idea until Gotham was saved from Scarecrow's wrath.

"Er, we encountered him in his base, but he ran off after we overpowered him. Haven't heard from him since." Great, look who's lying now.

Bruce sighed, some of the familiar light returning to his eyes. "Alright...but I'm glad you got rid of that weapon. I never should've doubted you, Tim. I'm proud of you."

Filial love and pride swelled inside me, my eyes burning behind my domino mask. "Thanks, Bruce," I chuckled bittersweetly.

My mentor smiled genuinely, an act that was quite uncommon for the Dark Knight. "I know you'll find Gordon, and bring this terrible night to a close."

"Of course," I nodded confidently.

"Keep an eye on Dick for me," Batman continued, "I told him to go back to Blüdhaven, but I guess I couldn't stop him from sticking around."

"I will," I sniffed.

"Good," he sighed tiredly, "I'm going to cut my comms again, for our safety. Don't bother coming back for me. This is the night it all ends, and I need you stay strong."

I could only nod, the gravity of our situation weighing down on me. Soon, the Bruce I knew would be gone, replaced by the madman who had harassed us and this city for years. The Clown Prince of Crime still fought us from beyond the grave, and it looked like he was winning.

"Goodbye, Tim," Bruce smiled warmly.

I wanted to cry, to scream; he'd been through much worse. There's no way he would let people like Scarecrow and the Joker bring him down, right? Right?!

I mentally slapped myself, bottling up my emotions and putting on a determined face for my father figure. "Goodbye, Bruce," I said, voice shaky.

The call ended, Batman's face disappearing from my sight for what could've been the last time.

 _Batman: OFFLINE_


	17. Reunification

"Who the fuck were you talking to in there?" Red Hood snarled as the Batmobile's windshield slid back from the driver's seat.

"Jason!" Dick snapped before coming to over to look at me. "Tim, what's wrong?" he asked softly, leaning forward on the Batmobile.

I sighed, shaking my head and composing myself. "Someone called...it was someone _important_ ," I emphasized, staring at Nightwing pleadingly.

His eyes widened when he read the unspoken avowal on my face. He quickly plastered on one of his signature smiles and backed off. "No worries," he replied, "Let's just-"

"You were talking to Batman, weren't you?" Red Hood accused, pointing at me irately. "What's really going on here? Is this all some big trick? Making me think we're working together when you're really leading me into some sort of trap?!" he yelled, voice rising an octave as his temper took over.

"It's not like that, I promise!" I cried, twisting in my seat to face Jason. I was too emotionally exhausted to deal with this!

"Then what the hell is it, skinhead?!" he growled, hands trembling.

Nightwing groaned defeatedly, hands in his ebony hair. Our truce with the Red Hood was already beginning to crumble. He was getting pissed at every other thing we were saying!

"Batman's been...really ill...for a long time now," I explained after taking a deep breath for the hundredth time. "It caught up to him tonight, and...he needs his rest."

Dick nodded in agreement. "He's telling the truth, Jay. We'll tell you more once we've taken care of Scarecrow."

"There's something else going on here," Jason hissed, returning to his motorcycle. "But I don't want to hear your excuses anymore. Let's get this over with." With that, the former Robin wheeled around and mounted his motorcycle, its engine growling impatiently.

"Let's go, Dick," I called, opening the back seats of the Batmobile. The older vigilante quickly secured himself and we sped off, the Red Hood following behind us.

We crossed the bridge into Founder's Island in no time, winding through the empty streets towards the precinct. I caught sight of the old movie studios between the dark buildings. Batman, Harley Quinn, and the remains of Joker's last victims were still in there. I swallowed my guilt and worry and kept my eyes on the road. If we failed now, that derelict building could very well become their tomb.

 _Don't worry, Bruce_ , I thought solmely. _We won't let you down. Just sit tight a little longer._

The cops keeping guard in the parking garage jumped to attention and raised their weapons at the sight of the motorcycle tailing the Batmobile. Thankfully, Red Hood stayed where he was, regarding them with silent contempt.

I jumped out of the cockpit, opening the back to let Nightwing out. "It's OK, officers," I called as the three of us stepped into view. "He's with us."

"The name's Red Hood," Jason announced with a lazy salute.

The cops shared worried glances. "Red Hood?" one of the braver men questioned.

"Yep. Don't go wearing it out," Jason replied sardonically.

The officer glared back, obviously weary of our new companion.

"Let's go; Oracle's waiting," I said, leading the other two vigilantes through the entrance before someone lost their cool. We made our way through the holding cells, doing our best to ignore the imprisoned criminals and thugs.

"Hey, kids! Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"I knew Batman didn't have the guts to finish this himself."

"You think that's smart bringing the girl here, Robin? You might as well kill her now."

"Who the hell's the guy in the jacket?"

Jason was just about to turn and lock horns with that last man when Nightwing grabbed his arm in an iron grip and pulled him forward. I thanked Dick silently for keeping Red Hood from causing a scene in the jail.

We strode past Jack Ryder's temporary office, ignoring his obnoxious requests for an update on Batman's whereabouts. One look from Jason finally shut the man up, and he left us in peace. We entered the doors to the offices and were greeted by Cash.

"You're back," he said, raising his eyebrows. "And you brought some friends, too."

"Good to see you, Cash," Dick grinned, "How are you and the other cops holding up?"

"I'd say we were fine," the man shrugged helplessly. "But Gordon's capture and Batman's disappearance have really lowered moral. I'm not sure how much longer we can last without a miracle."

"Barbara is tracking Crane down as we speak," I reassured him. "And Batman's been...incapacitated, but he's safe."

Cash raised an eyebrow. "Incapacitated? How-?"

"Don't bother," Jason cut in, crossing his arms. "I couldn't get any more details out of them, either."

"And who the hell are you?" Cash responded, annoyed by the younger man's interruption. "I haven't seen you running around Gotham before."

Nightwing and I sent our comrade stern looks before he answered grudgingly. "Call me Red Hood. Don't ask, it was the baby bird's idea," he gestured towards me. "Nice hook hand, by the way."

"Thanks," the policeman replied flatly.

"Come on; Babs is waiting," I urged Jason and Dick, sending one last apologetic glance towards the irritated Cash. I lead them past the maximum security cell filled with Gotham's worst and into one of the offices. Several firemen were gathered at on the other side of the room, watching us warily. I couldn't blame them, considering that they would still be held hostage if it weren't for Batman.

"Hey, Barbara," I greeted softly, putting my hands on her shoulders as she worked on the computer.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, spinning in her chair to face me. She smiled relievedly before turning to my companions. "Hey, Nightwing, glad you could make…" she trailed off, catching sight of Jason. It was evident that she still recognized him underneath his new disguise. The "J" branded on his face wasn't completely covered by his mask.

"...Nice outfit," Oracle greeted her former captor quietly.

"Thanks," he replied somewhat awkwardly. He stepped forward, and I hovered over my girlfriend protectively. I hadn't forgotten how Jason and his men drug Babs from the clock tower and took her to Scarecrow, where they did God knows what to her.

Jason noticed my agitation and moved no further. Instead, he looked down at Oracle somberly. "I'm glad you're safe, Barbara," he murmured.

She blinked in surprise, but smiled at his words. "Thanks, Jason. I'm glad you decided to come."

"It's not like we gave him much choice in the matter," Nightwing chuckled, winking and slinging his arm around Red Hood's shoulders. The younger man flinched, promptly shrugging his arm off. If Dick had been hurt by the gesture, he did a great job of hiding it behind his radiant smile.

"Here," I spoke to Oracle, leaning down and handing her Dick's memory card. "This is the data Nightwing got from the Arkham Knight's bunker. It could help." I watched out of the corner of my eye as Red Hood stiffened up.

"Every little bit helps, Tim," she replied gratefully, plugging the memory card into the machine and uploading the data. "Here's what I've gathered so far." She motioned for the three of us to move closer to the screen. I stayed behind her, my arms draped over her chest. Nightwing and Red Hood came over and stood on either side of us.

"Scarecrow's chopper flew towards the bay before heading north," Barbara explained, pointing out some points on the Batcomputer's map of Gotham. "I tried narrowing it down further, but the data's corrupted. They did more damage than I thought."

"What about the data I collected?" asked Nightwing.

"It should be done uploading," said Oracle, pulling some files up on the screen. "This could work...There are some coordinates for the safe houses and bases being used by the militia." She squinted, a certain document catching her eye. "This one looks like a battle plan for-"

Oracle was cut off by a rumbling tremor that shook the entire building to its foundations. The lights swayed, and loose rubble fell from the ceiling. We all paled. That could not have been good.


	18. Assault

The four of us glanced about frantically as the tremors continued. GCPD officers shouted in alarm and ran to grab their weapons, setting up barricades by the main doors.

"What the hell was that?" Barbara cried as I moved to shield her from the falling debris.

Before anyone could answer her, an image of Scarecrow, cloaked in darkness, invaded the computer screen.

"Gallant police force of Gotham; I have a message for you," he announced menacingly. "You are not safe. You are not protected. Batman will not save you. This is the end for you, Dark Knight." By then, our angry eyes were glued to the screen. How dare that villain come after the brave men and women who stayed in Gotham while others fled in fear?

"Like hell it is," Oracle scoffed, shutting the video off. "The Batcomputer's back online, guys. I'll do what I can."

"Time to kick some ass," Dick grinned wolfishly, twirling his escrima sticks excitedly.

"Don't get cocky," Jason warned, "I told Crane that my militia wouldn't attack the precinct unless we were out of options."

"Wait, you knew about-argh, forget it!" I snarled, knowing that arguing with my predecessor would only waste precious time.

"We can all talk about this later!" Barbara exclaimed, grabbing my arm. "We need you guys to get out there right now! Just be careful, OK?" she pleaded, anxious eyes staring into mine.

"I promise. Those militiamen won't hurt you again," I replied earnestly, planting a quick kiss in Oracle's fiery hair before taking off towards the exit.

Dick and Jason were right on my heels as I rushed through the quaking prison, the prisoners cheering at the possibility of being broken out during the militia's assault.

"Keep your guns trained on that door!" Sergeant Hanrahan cried as we entered the reception area. She and some other officers were taking cover behind an overturned vending machine at the foot of the stairs. "We are not dying in here! We've come too far! Let's show 'em what it means to be GCPD!"

"I pity them," Jason sniffed as we neared the parking garage. "These cops have no idea what they're up against."

"They're stronger than you know," I countered, whipping out my staff in anticipation. "Protecting a city like Gotham is no walk in the park."

Red Hood glared and opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off by Nightwing. "Jason," he breathed, regarding him seriously. "This is the point of no return. Once we go through this door, you're either fighting with us, or against us. Our deal still stands," he reminded the younger man.

Red Hood pressed his lips together, turning to face the heavy double doors. The thought of taking up arms against the men he's trained and fought with was, no doubt, weighing heavily on his mind.

Sighing at Jason's silence, Dick moved in between us, bracing his hands against the doors. "They're probably storming the garage by now. Red Hood, stay close to me. Robin, get in the Batmobile and cover us." I nodded obediently as another blast shook the building.

Wasting no more time, Nightwing rushed into the parking lot, Jason and I right on his heels. Two large transport vehicles flew into the view, skidding to a stop next to the Batmobile. Their side doors raised open, and a mob of militiamen poured out, armed with metal rods, electric gloves, and shields.

"If it isn't Batman's team of brats," one of them sneered, cracking his fists. "This won't take long, boys."

"I need this place locked down! Right now!" Dick barked into his communicator, charging at the nearest man with lightning speed. Jason rushed in behind him, flipping over a shielded soldier before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. Just then, the heavy door leading to the rest of the parking garage slammed shut, plunging the area in a darkness that was parted only by the spinning red lights overhead.

I made a mad dash towards the Batmobile, only to be blocked by three men; one brandishing a long knife, and the other two with electric charge coursing through their armor. I disarmed my first opponent with my staff, spinning and kicking him out of my way. His two companions lunged at me, and I danced backwards to avoid their sparking fists. I reached into my belt and activated the Batmobile's battle mode using the remote. The car fired non-lethal rounds from its secondary cannon, hitting my opponents from behind and taking them down.

My path clear, I jumped into the armored vehicle's cockpit and maneuvered into the main fray, electrocuting any militiaman who came too close. I couldn't help but admire Nightwing and Red Hood as they moved in sync, watching each other's backs and taking out their adversaries with deadly combo attacks. Jason, especially, was a force to be reckoned with on the field. He moved with the grace and power of a big cat, each of his blows leaving the militiamen out for the count. While his fighting style lacked Dick's acrobatics and flamboyance, it certainly was no less impressive.

Meanwhile, I tasked myself with taking down any stragglers before they broke through the doors and into the precinct. One by one, they were knocked out by the Batmobile's cannons until Dick and Jason were surrounded by unconscious bodies.

"Whew!" Nightwing exhaled through our comms. "These guys don't mess around!"

"They shouldn't," Jason replied haughtily. "I trained them, after all."

"Now isn't the time!" I cut in, calling Cash on the Batmobile's onboard computer. There were surely more enemy forces to be dealt with outside. "We need to get out of here, Cash! Open the shutter doors," I ordered of the police officer.

"I'm trying! Power's out!" he panted in exasperation on my screen. "This is it. They're gonna tear the building apart!"

"Robin, the schematics say there's a generator on the outside of the building. Go!" Oracle exclaimed from her computer. I nodded, and addressed my two comrades outside of the Batmobile.

"We have to find another way out!" I told them over the comms.

"Up there!" Dick pointed to a large vent in the wall covered by a fan. "Do you think we can get through that?"

"No problem," I replied, firing the Batmobile's winch at the fan and tearing it out of the way. Dust and debris fell to the ground, and Nightwing and Red Hood jumped back to avoid injury.

"Let's go!" I called, leaping out of the car and grappling up to the vent. The tube opened up into some sort of maintenance area, the only exit a narrow shaft in the wall.

"Ladies first," said Jason as he and Dick entered the area. Ignoring him, Nightwing jumped up to the shaft and crawled through. I followed right after him, with Red Hood taking up the rear to watch our flanks.

A metal grate covered the end of the vent, and I watched as Nightwing tore it out of the wall with a few well-aimed kicks. We found ourselves in an empty elevator shaft, the carriage many storeys above us.

"Only way out is up," said Dick, firing his Batclaw up at the carriage. Jason and I watched as he zoomed up before grabbing a ledge, almost out of sight.

"There's another vent here!" He called to us on the comms. "Wait for me to get out of the way!"

Seeing Nightwings barely-discernable form disappear into the wall, I shot my Batclaw up to the ledge. Flying up to the ledge, I caught my breath and pulled myself into the narrow shaft, knowing that Red Hood wouldn't be far behind. I crawled through the vent until I reached an open grate above me. I leapt out as another blast shook GCPD's headquarters.

Nightwing stood, frozen, a few paces before me as he looked out at Gotham from a behind a large, shattered window. Light fixtures and debris fell from the ceiling as explosions rocked the building. I ran forward and blanched at what had appeared on the dark streets below us.

Dozens of tanks advanced on the precinct, firing again and again on the building's crumbling facade. Helicopters and aerial drones hovered menacingly in the air, their propellers roaring angrily. Slowly, but surely, Scarecrow's militia was destroying the last sanctuary of the courageous and righteous Gothamites who would lay down their lives for this broken city.


	19. Fealty

"We're so screwed," I moaned, eyes glued to the armada at the GCPD's front doorstep.

"I'm glad Gordon isn't here to see this," Nightwing murmured in reply.

"GCPD. The home of Gotham's bravest men and women, a beacon of hope in a city of chaos and despair," the villainous Scarecrow drawled from a jumbotron attached to the elevated train tracks. "Watch as I obliterate it, and the lives of all that cower within its walls!"

"I was never a fan of Scarecrow's little speeches," Red Hood scoffed, approaching the railing next to us. He looked out at the tanks and helicopters before us, unfazed. "What is this? 'Saving Private Ryan'? This assault's got 'Deathstroke' written all over it," he tsked, shaking his head.

I turned and stared at Jason as if he'd finally lost his mind. Wasn't it his idea to find Scarecrow and work with him? To lay waste to Gotham with these tanks just to kill Batman? How was that any different from what Deathstroke was doing now?

The three of us jumped back as a portion of the large GCPD insignia fell and crashed down onto the street. "The generator!" I gasped, jumping through the shattered window and grappling to the left side of the roof, above the parking garage's entrance. I looked down and gaped at the twisted, smouldering remains of the building's generator. Shit! This was not good!

"Oracle, the generator's destroyed," I spoke into my earpiece. I fervently hoped that she could find another way to open the garage's door.

"Damn it!" she hissed frustratedly. "OK, there's a backup in the underground parking garage, but it should've come online."

"Any way we can reach it?" I asked as Dick and Jason joined me on the roof.

"Luckily, the parking garage entrance below you is jammed open. You can access the generator from there."

I nodded, leaping down to the destroyed generator and above the entrance. "Nightwing, Red Hood, stay on the roof; they might try landing their choppers on there."

"Since when do I take orders from you, replacement?" Jason ranted through my earpiece.

"Jay!" Dick snapped frustratingly, cutting him off. "Roger that, Robin. Be careful down there."

"You can't be serious!" Red Hood growled.

Ignoring him, I pulled out my remote hacker and blinded the drone hovering over the door. I jumped down, landing next to the unfortunate tank that had been crushed when the lockdown had initiated. I hurried passed the burning wreckage, ducking under the heavy, metal door.

Suddenly, the tank exploded, the shrapnel and flames sending me flying to the concrete. I coughed as the smoke and fumes attacked my lungs. Thankfully, my cape and armor had protected my body from any severe burns or injuries. Pulling myself to my feet, I realised that the door had slammed shut, trapping me until I could find the backup generator.

"Well, shit. Looks like we're stuck in here," Jason muttered from beside me.

"No shit, Sherlock," I retorted, turning to face the slightly singed Red Hood.

Wait...what the hell was he doing here?!

"I told you to stay with Dick!" I hissed, gesturing madly between the vigilante and the door. "You just left him out there, alone, in front of your freaking militia!"

"It ain't mine anymore, thanks to you," Jason growled, baring his teeth and rounding on me. "Deathstroke is probably having the time of his life out there while I'm stuck working with you guys!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, a headache beginning to beat against my skull. "Why did you follow me, then? Surely, it wasn't to help the poor, defenseless, replacement."

"I didn't want the guys to mess with my bike, that's all," he bit back, which failed to convince me, considering that our vehicles were locked in the lower level. "Now shut up, and listen!" he whispered, pointing down the tunnel. I followed his finger and caught sight of a large group of militiamen surrounding the backup generator.

"Hey, you got enough C4 there?" one of the soldiers chided, "We're supposed to disable the generators, not send them into space."

"We're not taking any chances with this," the soldier preparing the explosives retorted.

I whipped out my staff, charging past Jason and towards the generator. I couldn't let them destroy this one as well!

"It's Robin!" a militiaman shouted, catching sight of me. I pulled out my Batclaw and used it to grab the unfortunate man, pulling him towards me and knocking him down with a solid punch. A large brute carrying a shield rushed at me, but I easily stepped over him and whacked him in the head with my staff.

Meanwhile, Red Hood flew in from out of nowhere, bashing two soldiers' heads together before kicking them to the floor. He snatched one of their batons and attacked more of our opponents. As talented as they were, they didn't last long against the two of us.

I shot my remote electric charge at one last electrified soldier, overloading his armor and stunning him. He, soon, joined his companions on the hard ground. I turned and saw a militaman who, feigning unconsciousness, leapt up and ran at Jason from behind. I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but, before I could make a sound, Red Hood dodged to the side and tripped the man. Reaching out, the vigilante twisted his arm behind his back and drove him into the ground. Holding the soldier down with his knee, Jason whipped out one of his pistols from his jacket and put it against the soldier's helmet.

"Red Hood, stop!" I yelled, reaching with my hand despite the distance. If Jason decided to blow this soldier's brains out, I would be too slow to stop him.

Jason froze, still pinning the soldier underneath him, who struggled to look over his shoulder at his former commander.

"B-boss? Is that you?" he choked out. I was taken aback by how young he sounded. Just who had been desperate or brazen enough to join Jason's private militia?

Red Hood relaxed his grip on the militiaman's arm and sat back, allowing him to roll onto his back and peer at his leader's face. "It...it is you!" he exclaimed. "You're working with Batman now?"

"What's it to you?" Jason retorted, but not unkindly. It was probably the kindest I had ever heard his voice get. "Circumstances have changed, kid. This is the only way I'll achieve my goal now."

"But...you trained us," the young soldier mumbled dumbfoundedly, glancing between Jason and I. "You told us we were doing the right thing by taking out the Bat!"

Surprisingly, Red Hood chose not to argue with the soldier. Instead, he sat silently as his subordinate ranted and raved before him.

"You betrayed us! You...oh, who the hell am I kidding?" He sighed, bowing his head down like a dejected child. "None of this is right. I signed up to fight for you, boss; not Deathstroke or Scarecrow."

Jason let out a long breath before replying. "Well, that's life. Shit happens and, sometimes, you're left without anyone or anything to depend on. The only thing you can do then is find some reason to go on living. Believe me, kid, I've experienced it, firsthand."

"And what kept you going?" the militiaman asked incredulously, "Your huge vendetta against Batman? Is that why you brought us all here? Are we all just pawns in this selfish game of yours?" He questioned Red Hood, tone growing more and more spiteful.

Even from behind his domino mask, I caught the hurt that flashed across Jason's face. "I didn't hear you bitch and whine when you saw the pay rate on the contract," he growled lowly, lip curling up in a deprecating sneer. "You're a grown-ass man; why don't you figure this all out?"

The soldier shrunk back, his ingrained obedience to Jason apparent despite his ill behavior. By then, I had used my remote electrical charge to restart the precinct's generator. "Red Hood, leave him. We have no time to waste," I called to where he was crouching in front of the subdued enemy.

Jason stood, sending his former warrior a stern look. "Stay on the ground. Things are about to get ugly."

"Yes, sir," he replied hushedly, moving closer to his fallen comrades, perhaps to check up on their current conditions. "Be careful; Scarecrow wanted us to capture you. He wasn't very happy about your...um...desertion."

"That creepy bastard just can't get enough of me, huh?" Jason shrugged, shaking his head. "I'll be on the lookout for him, kid." With that, the older vigilante moved to rejoin me as the building's lockdown disengaged and the parking garage's doors rose open.

I couldn't help but wonder if, underneath Jason's nonchalant attitude, he was afraid of Crane's intentions for him. It would behoove Red Hood not to fall back into his syringed clutches and find out the hard way. Hell, the villain had hoodwinked and manipulated Batman himself throughout the night. The thought that Scarecrow could have even more ruses planned for us was a petrifying one.


	20. Skirmish

"Oracle, the backup generator is online," I told Barbara over the comms. Like a loyal companion, the Batmobile zoomed up through the garage and slid to a stop in front of Jason and I.

"Good. Let's get you out of there," she replied.

"All's clear on the roof," Dick cut in, "Are you OK, Jaybird? You shouldn't've run off after Robin like that."

"Ever the Mother Goose, aren't you, Nightwing?" Red Hood admonished him. "I'm fine. Don't get your panties in a twist, or you'll lose focus and do something stupid."

Dick, having been effectively shut up, said nothing in return.

"Right," Oracle muttered awkwardly. "Tim, head to the car and I'll...What?! No way!" she cried suddenly.

"What is it, Barbara?!" I demanded, the fear that something had gone wrong seizing my gut.

"A vulnerability in the militia network," she explained, replacing my worry with great relief. "Idiots! I think I can hijack their drones."

"My IT guys better start running," Jason grumbled, chagrined by his people's oversight.

I couldn't help but smirk; this crack in the militia's defenses could the key to turning this fight around. "Great job, Oracle. Let's hit them where it hurts!" I bounded over to the Batmobile, leaping inside.

"What the hell do you want me to do?" Jason whined, throwing his hands in the air frustratedly.

"Why don't you go check up on your precious baby bike? I'm sure it's missing its daddy," I snarked with a grin. I sealed the cockpit and muted Red Hood's mic, blocking out his bitching. I engaged the car's combat mode, directing it up the inclined driveway in anticipation of the coming battle.

"Be nice, Tim," Barbara chided me, a smirk in her voice. "These guys out there have crossed the line by coming here. We can't let them off easy for it."

"Damn straight," I nodded resolutely, hands tightening around the Batmobile's steering wheel. "Get ready, Oracle."

"I'm ready," she replied, "I'll be out there fighting alongside you."

"Five," I began the countdown as if it were second nature.

"Four," she responded.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Let's finish this!" Barbara cried as the metal door leading outside flew open. The Batmobile charged, head-on, to face our enemies. Dozens of drones turned on the car, weapons poised to obliterate their target. The unnerving scene made me question why our country's armed forces hadn't intervened on this conflict. It was looking more and more like a full-scale invasion.

"It's Batman!" Deathstroke shouted into the militia's now-unsecured communications channel. "Open fire!"

I grimaced, racing the Batmobile to the side of the GCPD building for cover. Several shots struck the car's armor, and I reciprocated with several well-aimed rounds of my own.

"Damn it!" I growled, gripping the controls tightly. "There's drones everywhere!"

"And they think you're Bruce," Nightwing commented thoughtfully from the roof. "They'll certainly be gunning for you now."

"The longer we can dupe them, the better," said Oracle, "They cannot find out where he really is."

"Right," I concurred, firing again and again at Deathstroke's forces. "How's the hacking coming, Babs?"

"Target selected," she confirmed, "Beginning hack now." One of the tanks on my HUD was highlighted as she spoke. It soon began firing on its new targets.

"What the hell?" Deathstroke exclaimed angrily. "Someone's breaching our network!"

"Remove them," Scarecrow commanded.

"I can't!" the militia commander controlling the drones cried. "As soon as I trace the source, it switches!"

"Barbara Gordon," Crane intoned in realization.

"I can't believe you let that bitch escape!" Slade growled frustratedly.

I scowled, firing a swarm of missiles at the drones buzzing incessantly above me. They had no right to talk about Barbara like that!

"Don't worry about me, Robin" she spoke, sensing my anger. "I'm safe. Stay focused." Another tank in the fray was highlighted in yellow. "I've overcharged the tank's energy cells. It'll trigger an EMP when shot."

"Got it," I replied, dashing across the street and firing at the hijacked vehicle. The blast immobilized several rattlers, making them fast and easy targets.

"Oh, yeah!" Dick whooped jovially. "Like shooting fish in a barrel!"

"How's the roof, Nightwing?" I asked, hoping to divert his attention back to the tense situation at hand.

"What? Oh!" he gasped. "All's clear up here. Where the hell are you, Jay?" he muttered as an afterthought.

"He's still inside the precinct," Barbara replied, "What's your status, Red Hood?"

Before anyone could reply, the Batmobile was rocked violently by cannon fire. I cried out hoarsely, startled by the attack. A pack of twin rattlers had emerged, surrounding the car and firing relentlessly.

"You cannot sustain their hope any longer, Batman," Scarecrow droned on. "They will die afraid and forsaken. Reflect on your failures as you salvage their corpses from the rubble."

Suddenly, a metallic blur roared out of the parking garage, weaving in between the tanks and dropping explosives that damaged and immobilized them. I used the distraction to speed the Batmobile to safety.

"Red Hood!" Oracle cried; she'd been in the process of hacking another drone. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving your boy toy's ass!" He shouted back on the comm line, driving his motorcycle around the remaining tanks. "You're welcome!"

"Wha...who was that?!" stammered the militia commander. "Wait a minute...that bike!"

Oh, crap.

"If it isn't the prodigal son," Scarecrow chuckled darkly. "Jason Todd."


	21. Fray

**A/N: Decided to make this chapter a little longer. More updates coming soon!**

* * *

"Arkham Knight?!" snarled Deathstroke, "I should've known that punk would run back to his Daddy sooner or later."

I cursed under my breath. While I felt grateful for Jason's speedy intervention, he might had just blown our carefully-laid cover.

"No," said Scarecrow, "Such deep-seeded hatred and anger does not simply vanish. He was adamant in his quest to end the Bat."

"What are you saying, sir?" the commander questioned uneasily as the battle raged on.

"He means that Batman isn't here," Slade ground out. "His brats must've hidden him somewhere."

"This complicates things," murmured Crane. "I shall get to work on locating Batman."

"No!" Barbara gasped as she took control of yet another tank to assist me.

"And Todd?" asked Deathstroke.

"Tragically, the Arkham Knight has become a liability," Scarecrow replied, not sounding the least bit remorseful. "Dispose of him."

"What?!" the militia commander gasped.

"Don't question him, just do it!" snapped Slade. "I don't know if you can hear this, Knight, but it's been a pleasure," he spoke, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Jason, get out of there!" cried Nightwing, just as a tank launched a swarm of missiles at Red Hood's bike.

"Shit!" yelled Jason, swerving and making a break for cover. I wheeled the Batmobile around, shooting as many of the projectiles as I could out of the air. Luckily, Jason's bike was too fast of a target for the remaining missiles to strike. He escaped and disappeared into the alley beside the GCPD headquarters.

Oracle let out a sigh of relief as she disposed of one of the remaining tanks. "Get back to Dick, Jason. It's too dangerous for you out here."

"Fine," he replied, sounding somewhat shaken. "The rest is up to you two. Don't screw it up!"

I wanted to reprimand Jason for rushing out into the battlefield, revealing himself to Scarecrow and putting Batman in even more danger. Knowing that there was no point in arguing now, I focused on destroying the remainder of Scarecrow's ground forces.

"Sir, we need to stop the hack at its source," said the militia commander, overwhelmed by our onslaught. "Otherwise, this is over."

"Nothing's changed, sergeant," Crane replied, not concerned in the slightest. "We will show them how misplaced their belief in Batman is before the night is through."

With a blast from the Batmobile's main cannon, the last rocket tank exploded in a cloud of sparks. I sighed heavily, wiping away the sweat that had gathered on my forehead. We had done it; We'd saved GCPD from Scarecrow's unmerciful wrath!"

"Hell yeah!" Nightwing cheered, most likely doing a happy dance on the roof. "Take that, gas mask!"

"I would congratulate you two," Red Hood sniffed, "If those weren't my expensive-ass drones you just obliterated."

"You're welcome, _Jaybird_ ," I huffed grudgingly, jabbing at him with his nickname. I got a low growl in response, but nothing more.

"There's nothing left, sir," the commander bemoaned, "Nothing."

"You played your part," asserted Scarecrow, "Now they will play theirs."

I knew we couldn't relaxed just yet, despite our victory. Scarecrow always seemed to have an ace up his sleeve.

"All drones destroyed," announced Oracle, "We did it! No, wait," she rescinded, "There are helicopters heading this way!"

"They're dropping men on the roof!" Dick gasped, "If they get in, we're done for!"

"Quit your blubbering, Grayson!" Jason snapped at the older man, "And follow my lead! This won't take long at all."

I quickly ejected from the Batmobile's cockpit, grappling my way up to the top of the building. A large chopper, having unloaded a group of mercs, departed into the stormy sky as I reached the roof. Nightwing and Red Hood were spinning around each other in a deadly dance as they fended off the men who were attempting to breach the locked elevator.

"No way they're getting through!" I growled. If we failed, everyone inside the precinct who fought selflessly for Gotham, Cash, _Barbara_ , would fall along with us.

"Guys, I've got control of the security and utility systems on the rooftop," said Oracle, "I can take the bastards out. You just set 'em up."

"You got it," I replied grimly, whipping out my staff and diving into the fray. I joined my companions as they fought against the enemy, dodging blades and bullets and striking back just as hard. One by one they fell, beaten by Batman's tenacious and crafty protégés. There was little they could do in the face of our combined prowess on the field.

The last of the first wave of militiamen received a nasty shock, courtesy of Oracle, as I shoved him against the chainlink surrounding the rooftop generator. He screamed as electricity coursed through his body and he crumpled to the ground.

"Nice work," called Nightwing as he bounded over, stowing his escrima sticks and patting me on the shoulder. "You were driving the Batmobile like a pro! I'm sure Batman would've been proud."

"Thanks," I smiled tiredly. "I honestly pretended that I was playing a video game. It helped me focus."

"Really?" he inquired with a shit-eating grin. "What was your highest killstreak, Geek Wonder?" he joked, jumping away before I could shove him.

"Ass," I chuckled, opening up communications with Oracle. "Barbara, I think that was the last of them."

"You guys may wanna think again," interjected Red Hood, brushing past me and making his way to the precinct's helipad. Sure enough, another chopper full of mercenaries flew in to drop off its load.

"Jesus, Jay," chuckled Dick, falling back into a fighting stance. "How many guys did you hire for this little army of yours?"

As the helicopter opened its door and soldiers poured out, Red Hood looked back over his shoulder at us. Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the maniacal grin below his mask.

"You'd be surprised how many people in this world love to start some fuckery," Jason purred before turning to face his former legion.


	22. Bulwark

We watched warily as more of Scarecrow's men disembarked from the helicopter, lead by two gargantuan mercs. Their entire bodies hidden by thick armor, the two were each armed with retractable blades and shields. Jason's elite brutes certainly were intimidating bulwarks, and taking them down was likely to prove a challenge.

"We're the best, Batbrats," the one on our left boasted, flexing his weaponry as his armor sparked with electricity. "You won't keep up with us!"

I tried not to gulp as I pulled out my bo staff, standing my ground next to Nightwing. Red Hood remained in front of us, looking surprisingly relaxed in the face of our hardy foes.

"Leave these two to me," he called back to us. Some of the militiamen flanking the brutes glanced and murmured at each other uneasily. Had the appearance of this new vigilante unsettled them? Or had Slade and Crane revealed the identity of the Red Hood to them so quickly?

"Are you sure?" Dick inquired intently, blue eyes scanning our opponents as he twirled his escrima sticks.

"Don't doubt me," Jason retorted with an air of confidence, "I taught them everything they know."

By now, the soldiers looked tense and ready to charge. Suddenly, Red Hood's hands moved to the holsters on his thighs and, before I could blink, two throwing knives found their way into weak points on the two brute's legs. They howled furiously, launching themselves at Jason despite their disabling wounds.

Meanwhile, Nightwing and I jumped back as I threw several shurikens at the rest of the militiamen to taunt them. They took the bait, storming angrily past our occupied comrade with their fists raised.

"Oracle!" I cried as one of the men stepped over a grating highlighted by my mask. A blast of unforgivably freezing air engulfed the unfortunate merc, rendering him an armored icicle. His companions gawked at the sight, leaving an opening that Dick and I took to our full advantage. We rushed in, easily countering their strikes and putting them down, one by one.

As I took care of an especially frustrating medic, I chanced a glance back at Red Hood. He moved between his opponents with blinding speed, dodging their deadly blades and attacking the weak points only he was privy to. The brutes' attacks grew wider and sloppier as their vexation and wounds took their toll. As their fight moved further from the helipad, Jason missed a step and stumbled. This small loss of balance was enough for one of the brutes to bumrush the vigilante and slam him onto the hard roof. His meaty, gloved hands immediately wrapped themselves around the Red Hood's neck in a crushing grip. Jason grabbed at his former elite's arms, legs kicking uselessly as he gasped for breath. The other brute closed in, fists sparking and ready for a beatdown.

"Oh no, you don't!" growled Nightwing, shoving an irate merc away from him and into the wall. He sped over to his brother's side, barrelling right into the man holding Jason down. An electrified escrima stick was slammed into the brute's helmet, knocking him aside as if he weren't a towering wall of muscle. Dick wheeled around, leaping over Jason's prone form and attacking the second brute with a barrage of strikes. Even with his shield and blades, the soldier could not keep up with Nightwing's acrobatic movements. Finally, he landed a powerful kick to his opponent's gut, pushing him into the electrified fence near the elevator. Needless to say, Barbara made short work of the poor merc.

After dispatching the last of our opposition, I ran over to where Dick was helping Jason to his feet. Both looked a little worse for wear, but were mostly unharmed.

"Damn, Nightwing," grumbled the Red Hood as he massaged his neck. "You're pretty scary when you get all riled up."

I could only nod in agreement. I could count the number of times I'd seen Dick fight so ferociously on my fingers.

"I'm just glad you're alright, Little Wing," he replied with a warm smile. "Remember to call for backup next time, OK?"

Jason blinked silently, taken aback by the affectionate nickname he probably hadn't heard in years. He bit his lip, shifting his gaze down to his combat boots. Despite everything Jason had been through, it was obvious that the name still held some sentimental value.

The uneasy silence between us was broken by the beeping of our comm links. My hand immediately flew up to my ear. "Oracle?" I asked, eager to hear that she and the rest of GCPD were safe and sound.

"Don't worry, we're safe," she replied, a smile in her voice. "Great work, team!"

"There's a lot of people looking to thank all of you," Cash joined in, relief in his voice. "And I'm one of them. It looked bad for a minute there."

"No problem," Dick chuckled, "We're just doing our job."

"'Our' job?" Jason questioned indignantly, earning two glares too tired to hold much heat.

"Thanks, Aaron, but you don't need to...Oh, God," Barbara gasped suddenly.

"What is it?" I asked, the three of us tensing up in preparation for yet another conflict.

"I think Scarecrow's at the movie studios," she replied in alarm. "Dad's voice was just used to gain access!"

"No," I murmured in horror. My eyes would've popped out of my skull if they grew any wider. I wheeled around, catching sight of the dilapidated building our mentor was trapped in.

"They found him."


	23. Rage

"Tim? Tim!"

I barely heard Dick and Barbara's calls as the darkness of Gotham closed in on me. Panic rose through my trembling form. Scarecrow; he had Bruce, my friend, my father. He was in terrible danger!

"Tim, please, listen to me!" Nightwing implored, reaching out to grab my arm. I flinched away from his touch, the shock having not yet left my system.

"Guys...I have to," I muttered, shaking my head and regaining focus. "I have to go."

"What?!" Dick cried exasperatedly. Jason stood to the side impassively, thankfully refraining from making any offending remarks.

Not wasting another moment, I raced past the older men, diving off of GCPD's roof and opening my glider.

"Be careful," Babs whispered in my ear as I soared through the air towards Panessa Movie Studios. The thrill of the flight only strengthened the urgency to reach Batman as soon as possible. Before I knew it, I landed on the old building's roof, sliding to a stop in front of the VIP elevator.

"Open!" I all but barked at the heavy door. The security system, recognizing my voice, quickly granted me passage to the elevator. I hurried in, and began my descent towards our base of operations. My hands clenched my bo staff as I stood in the carriage for what felt like hours. I couldn't bear to look at the old movie posters pinned up around me. The actors' faces seemed to leer at me out of my peripheral vision, silently making the same accusation over and over.

 _You left him here. You left him in here to die._

Finally, I reached the quarantine cells. I had no idea what I expected to see, but I rushed into the large chamber without a second thought.

"BATMAN!" I cried frantically, racing past the bodies of Joker's victims and freezing in front of Bruce's empty cell. My eyes trailed down the grotesque, painted smile vandalizing the glass to the smashed weapons and gadgets on the ground before me. Letting out a shaky breath, I crouched down, picking up a lonely Batarang that had been discarded on the cold floor.

"No," I whimpered, holding the Batarang close to my chest. "Damn it!" I screamed, pounding my fist against the glass cell. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeated pathetically, squeezing my eyes shut as they burned with tears.

I wanted to tell myself to man the hell up and continue Bruce's fight, but I could no longer find the strength. Batman, my hero, was at the villainous Scarecrow's mercy all because of my fear; the fear that he would embrace the mad clown inside of him; the fear that led me to lock him up like some animal.

I didn't even flinch when I heard the elevator open behind me. Two pairs of boots briskly approached, their owners having just missed my initial display. Shame rose inside me, and I made no move to face my predecessors. Neither of them had ever fucked up like I had.

"Tim?" Dick's voice broke through my misery. I didn't react to the gentle hand on my shoulder. I kept my wet eyes on the empty cell interior, where I thought Bruce would be safe until the end of this terrible Halloween night.

"Hmph," grunted Jason, "Looks like our deal's off, Dick. Scarecrow decided to come finish the job for me."

At that moment, a dam burst in my mind, flooding me with red hot anger and hatred. With an enraged snarl, I spun and launched the Batarang in my hand straight at the traitorous bastard. He dodged it, of course, but I wasn't finished yet.

"YOU!" I roared, pointing at the Red Hood. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Tim, stop!" Nightwing cried desperately, grabbing both of my arms roughly.

"Get. Your hands. Off of me!" I yelled right back, shoving the elder vigilante away with trembling hands. I turned back to Jason, who only eyed me in that arrogant, unfazed way.

"None of this would've happened if you'd just come home!" I sobbed, continuing my tirade. "What the FUCK were you hoping to gain from this?! ANSWER ME!"

The tears accumulating inside my mask blurred my already red vision. Even so, I saw Jason's fists clench in anger, his jaw tightening as he prepared to retort.

"How many times do I have to tell you, replacement?" He spat, "What Batman did to me, to US, was unforgivable! He took us in as children and made us into pawns, SOLDIERS, for a pointless war! Just look at what that did to me!"

"It's not POINTLESS!" I screamed back, ignoring Dick's pleas to settle down before things got ugly. "We've done so much good for Gotham, while you...you," I stammered, too upset to form a coherent sentence. "You're just a useless screw up!"

The words echoed throughout the large room. I had said them in the heat of the moment, but there was no taking them back now.

"Jason," Nightwing warned as his younger brother's face twisted into an enraged snarl. "He-he didn't mean-"

"FUCK YOU!" he roared, charging towards my cornered form, fingers curled into blunt claws.

Dick jumped in front of me in a flash, barring the violent vigilante from reaching me. I was grateful for his interference, despite the emotional pain clouding my thoughts.

"Get out of the way," Red Hood growled, glaring at Blüdhaven's hero. "I'm done playing nice."

He pushed against Nightwing's escrima sticks like a caged bull.

"Please," Dick ground out, struggling against his brother's impressive strength. "Don't...fight!"

"Why the hell are you defending that brat? He's the one who locked Bruce in a fucking cage for no reason!" Jason retorted, glaring murderously at me over Dick's shoulder.

"It wasn't for 'no reason'!" I cried exasperatedly, getting back up and glaring right back. In my angered mind, there was only one thing I could do to make Jason stand down. "You want the truth? He's been INFECTED!"


	24. Departure

"In...infected? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Dick and I watched Jason warily as he backed away, face apprehensive and confused. Dick edged closer to me, permitting me to continue with a nod over his shoulder. It appeared we had no choice but to tell him the awful truth about Bruce.

I took a deep breath, releasing whatever tension and anger remained in my system. "Have you heard of the Arkham City Incident?" I asked the Red Hood.

"Ye-yeah," he responded uneasily, "What does that have to do with…" he trailed off, having caught sight of the recently deceased bodies strewn about the room. I held my breath as he turned and cautiously approached the former Henry Adams. I cringed at his horrified yelp when he caught sight of the old man's blood stained smile.

Dick and I anxiously observed the former Robin as he took in the victims of Joker's final jest; Christina Bell, Johnny Charisma, Albert King, their faces ruined by the Clown Prince's hideous features. Even a bored-looking Harley Quinn waved at him silently from within her cell.

Jason's breaths became increasingly loud and shaky; his body trembled as the paralyzing trauma inflicted on him took hold. Before we could blink, he rounded on us with deranged eyes, pistols drawn and aiming to kill.

"Jay!" cried Dick in shock as I yanked him against me and whipped out my bullet shield.

"You two," Red Hood snarled ferally. "What the fuck is going on here? What happened in Arkham City?!"

"OK, OK!" I yelled frantically before he could take any shots at us. "Joker was dying from his use of the Titan drug. Somehow, he sent his poisoned blood to hospitals all over Gotham. We stopped him, but some of it managed to slip past us."

Jason relaxed his arms ever so slightly, glancing back at the bodies. "So...they started...turning into…?" he trailed off fearfully, having come to the chilling conclusion. "Bruce..."

"Little Wing," Nightwing called softly, "Bruce was infected by the Joker in Arkham City. He kept it from all of us ever since. Please understand that he and Tim were looking for a cure, but," he paused, glancing at Henry's body. "It all went awry."

Jason was unresponsive. His hands gripped his weapons painfully tight, never lowering them as he took a few unsteady steps away from us. "No...Joker's dead," he muttered, eyes glazed over with fear. "He...can't come back!"

"Jason," I spoke up, hoping to make amends for my earlier insults and calm him down.

"Shut UP, replacement!" He ground out as he began pacing in front of us, mind no doubt reeling from what we had revealed to him. "Shit, shit, shit!" He cursed, stowing his guns and grabbing at his dark hair, causing his hood to slip from from his head.

"Wait, Jason," said Nightwing, taking a few careful steps towards the distraught vigilante. "You can still help us stop Scarecrow and save Bruce-"

"NO!" The Red Hood shouted in response, terror in his voice. "If what you're saying is true, then Batman is already dead! He's...the Joker now." His green eyes widened at the implications of what he had said.

"No, he's not!" I retorted vehemently, lowering my shield and balling my hands into tight fists. "If we act now, we can still help him!"

"Oh, yeah? You mean the same way you helped these people?!" Jason challenged, gesturing madly at the dead bodies. "Then you're right; there's only one way to deal with these twisted fucks!"

"Hey!" cried Harley Quinn from her cell. "Who're you calling twisted?!"

"CAN IT, BITCH!" snarled the Red Hood before giving Dick and I one last reproachful glare and turning towards the elevator. "I can't fucking do this anymore. I'm done with this farce."

Nightwing looked absolutely crushed by Jason's remark. He shook his head in disbelief, moving forward in hopes of catching his brother before he escaped.

"Dick, don't!" I exclaimed, dashing ahead and stopping him with firm hands on his shoulder and chest. "Just let him go. He never wanted to help us, anyway."

Thankfully, Dick made little effort to push past me. He continued to gaze sadly at Red Hood's retreating back as he approached the elevator.

"Please, Jaybird!" cried Nightwing, "Why do you keep fighting us like this? We're family!"

Jason stopped in his tracks, wheeling around to face us with a harsh, exasperated laugh. "Open your eyes, Dickhead!" he shouted, "I was never a part of your precious 'family!' I never saw eye-to-eye with anyone! Batman tried to mold me into his perfect little soldier, and when I wasn't everything that he wanted me to be...well, we all know what happened then, don't we?" he growled darkly, levelling his glare straight at me.

Dick and I stood our ground silently. Jason had made the choice to turn his back on Batman and what he stood for long ago. Nothing we said or did would've changed his mind.

"I'm not the eager kid who was pretending to be you anymore," the second Robin enunciated, eyes back on Nightwing. "Like it or not, that damn clown made me who I am today. The scars he gave me will never heal, and I sure as hell won't join you just to blindly and stupidly aid in his return. If not for my sake, then for the sake of the Gothamites who don't deserve to suffer because of your 'morals.'"

With that, the Red Hood turned and strode the rest of the distance to the waiting elevator carriage. He paused before stepping in, taking a deep, shuddering breath before turning on his comm one last time.

"Listen, Richard," he spoke calmly, but didn't move to face us again. "The path I chose destroyed any chance of me returning to the manor. Do you understand? No one would forgive the things I've done. I'm not sure when we'll see each other again, but I want you to know that my fight was never with you or Barbara."

Jason's claim threatened to set me off again. How could he say that after everything he did to Barbara? "You made her a part of it when you handed her over to Crane," I retorted sternly.

The second Robin did not reply to my low blow. Even Dick had gone statue-still beside me. We could only watch as he pressed a button on his gauntlet, shutting us out for good as he boarded the elevator.


	25. Broadcast

A ringing silence was all that was left in the wake of the Red Hood's retreat from Panessa Movie Studios. Little by little, the buzzing of the machines and lights around us came into focus, and the blood rushing through my ears died down. I sighed deeply; it seemed the inevitable outcome of our shaky truce with the Arkham Knight had come to pass.

"I'm sorry he didn't stay," I apologized to Nightwing as we stood quietly in the center of the circle of quarantine cells.

"No, Tim; I should be the one apologizing for all of this," sighed Dick in self-deprecation, looking down at the floor and stepping away from me. "I thought if I could reach out to Jason, all of this would be fixed. But you were right; he wasn't the Jason any of us knew anymore. Not after what he's been through."

"I know," I mumbled in reply. Dick had loved Jason like a brother, and finding him so broken and unrecognizable must've been killing him. I didn't dare imagine how devastating it would be for Bruce, if he ever learned the truth.

"But this isn't the time for moping," he declared, all Nightwing and business once more. "We have something more important to worry about right now."

"Right," I replied with a nod. It was time to save Bruce and Gordon, and take down Scarecrow once and for all. I turned on my comm and contacted Oracle; God knows how anxious she must've been after I rushed all the way to the studios by myself.

"Robin, Nightwing," she greeted solemnly, "I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Red Hood."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Er...how much did you hear?" I asked somewhat guiltily. Had she been listening to our entire arguement?

"I heard enough. Now listen," she continued, not dwelling on Jason's sudden departure. "I found surveillance feed of an unmarked truck leaving the studios shortly before you arrived. If my suspicions are correct, that's what they used to take Batman to Scarecrow."

"Do you have any idea where that truck was going?" asked Nightwing urgently.

"I was able to narrow down its destination," replied Oracle grimly. "But you're not going to like it. I think they took him to Arkham Asylum."

I sucked in a breath, sure that the color was draining from my face. The abandoned asylum was heaven for someone who wanted to maim and torture in the worst way possible. Just what had Scarecrow planned for his hostages?

"We can't leave Bruce and Gordon in there any longer!" declared Nightwing. "Let's get going, Tim; we can clean this place up later."

"Pardon me, young masters," came Alfred's voice as the butler inserted himself into our call. "I apologize for the intrusion, but there appears to be some sort of broadcast hijacking television stations all over the country. It appears to be Crane's doing!"

"Oh my God, he's right!" Barbara exclaimed, "Scarecrow's broadcasting from Arkham Asylum!"

"What?!" I cried, sprinting and skidding to a stop in front of the great computer on the far side of the chamber. Dick soon joined me, resting a tense hand on my shoulder as I got to work tapping into the signal. I opened up a video player on the large screen, displaying a portal into the dark, dilapidated asylum that was the Scarecrow's playground.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the villain drawled as he stepped into view, syringed fingers clasped in front of him. "While many of you have hidden behind your costumes and disguises this Halloween, Gotham's Dark Knight will lose his cowl before the night is out. Now it is time for the world to see that even he is powerless in the face of his darkest fears. Gotham will fall with its hero, and the rest of your pitiful communities soon after."

I sucked in an angry breath. With a quick keystroke, news and social media feeds popped up on the edges of the screen. Journalists and users alike flooded the web with excitement, sympathy, and unease about Gotham City's situation. Unfortunately, hashtags would do little to help Bruce now.

"If he unmasks Batman, we're finished!" exclaimed Nightwing.

"I couldn't agree more," I replied gruffly as I quickly shut down the computer. I took Dick's arm, pulling him along as I ran for the elevator. "Oracle, we'll get there as fast as we can."

"OK. Scarecrow hasn't been there for long, so he probably didn't have time to set up a good defense," said Barbara quickly, her voice betraying her relief and anticipation. "Good luck, guys."

By then, Nightwing and I were in the middle of our elevator ride up to the roof. The air in the small carriage was electrified by our newfound determination. We reached the top in no time, and the two of us dashed out, back into the stormy night. Nothing in the world could stop us from rescuing our dear mentor now.


End file.
